Fresh from Europe
by Freedom Fighter
Summary: 32 teens from Total Drama, 6teen, and Stoked make their way to London, site of the 2012 Summer Olympics, for a shot at a grand prize of 300,000 dollars! They have to survive 17 days, 13 events, and more first, though. Sequel to "Fresh from Canada."
1. Gate Clippers

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

And I'm at it again! 32 characters from "Total Drama," "6teen," and "Stoked" are flown across the pond to jolly old England! Ahead of the upcoming Summer Games, they'll be competing in numerous Olympic events, hoping to survive until the end, where a grand prize awaits the last man or woman standing!

Let's get started!

**SPOILER WARNING - **Make sure you've seen and/or read the following before reading this:  
**Shows:** "Total Drama" (through "World Tour"; very, very minor spoilers for "Revenge of the Island"), "6teen" (through end of the show/Season 4), "Stoked" (through end of the show/Season 2)  
**Fanfics:** "Fresh Challenge: Vets vs. Groms"

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

London, United Kingdom

One of the most well-known icons in the city of London is the famed red double-decker bus, used in large numbers daily as public transport for people in and around the city. But on this particularly overcast late Spring morning, one of those buses was taking an out-of-the-way detour.

A detour that took the it to northern edge of the Greater London area.

Eventually, it arrived at its destination... the Lee Valley White Water Centre. The venue, built for the Games and the only one in that respect to have been opened to the public prior to the Olympics, was now closed in preparation for said competition.

But today, it was going to have a private open for thirty-some teenagers from Canada. Teenagers who think they have what it takes to pass as Olympic-caliber athletes.

In actuality, they were reality show stars.

The bus pulled up to the entrance to the venue. It stopped in the unloading zone, and the cast began to disembark, two at a time.

Izzy sprinted out, and she had dragged some unlucky sap out with her. Emma.

"**YES!** Are we at the palace? I wanna see if I can make those guards flinch! No one outflinches Izzy! Ha ha!"

"Not... palace..." groaned Emma, as she lifted her face out of the sidewalk that Izzy had accidentally planted her into.

"Oh, hey there! You're not who Izzy wanted to drag out! I wanted her!"

She was pointing at Kelly. Or Heather. Or perhaps even both. They had gotten themselves stuck in door after trying to exit at the same time.

"Do you know who I am?" Heather growled.

"Oh, you'd better remember who I am!" shot back Kelly.

They eventually slid out, landing on the sidewalk in a tangled mess of arms and legs. They rolled in tandem to the nearby grass, where they could get themselves untangled.

Ty and Ripper came out next, and shook their heads as they saw the pair still tussling.

"Still don't know what you saw in her, mate," Ripper told Ty.

"Me neither," Ty responded.

But Ty was not paying attention to where he was going, and he bumped right into Emma, who had just gotten back to her feet, knocking her backwards right into Izzy, who caught her.

"Oops!" Ty apologized. "Sorry, Emma. You okay?"

Emma smiled as she nodded in response. Seeing that she was okay, Ty caught up with Ripper, who was already heading in. Izzy was giddy upon seeing the lovey-dovey expression on Emma's face.

"Izzy knows that face! **HEY GUYS, EMMA LOVES...**"

Emma snapped out of it and covered Izzy's mouth with her hand just in the nick of time, trying to keep her so-called secret a secret. Meanwhile, Darth and Harold had just stepped off of the bus, followed closely by reality 'virgins' Serena and Chrissy. The pair seemed to be happy about being in the United Kingdom more than worried about what they might be in for.

Next up were... two teenagers who were dressed in sunglasses and trench coats stepped out. They looked around for a minute before finally stripping down to their normal outfits. It was Trent and Justin.

"Man!" said Trent with relief. "I never thought we'd make it here in one piece after getting mobbed at Heathrow!"

"I never thought still being a single Drama Brother would be so tough!" groaned Justin. "Chicks want us, man!"

"But... I thought you loved chicks!"

"Not when they wanna steal your underwear and auction it off!"

"**HEY!**" a third party interjected.

Cody ran off of the bus.

"I'm still single!"

Out of nowhere, Cody was tackled to the ground by Sierra.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, Cody-kins, you know that's only until we find a justice of the peace willing to marry two 16-year old elopers! Speaking of which... they have those here, right?"

Trent and Justin shrugged, as they did not know the answer.

"**THE REEFSTER... HAS COME BACK... TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES!**"

Reef had just stepped off the bus. He was holding high over his head the gold medal he claimed he won by winning "Fresh from Canada" but in reality, he just had made for him afterwards.

Exit Fin from the bus, who smacked Reef in the back of the head, causing him to drop his gold medal.

"Knock it off! You want a target on your back? Again?"

"Don't tell me what's what, woman!"

Reef picked up his medal up and was about to put it back on again, when he was interrupted by someone coughing behind him. It was Lo.

"Ladies and gentlemen! And, ugh, Reef... presenting Canada's next great Olympian... **BROSEPH!**"

Lo applauded and cheered excitedly. But there was one problem. Broseph did not emerge.

"**BROSEPH!**"

She marched back onto the bus. A few seconds later, she pulled a half-awake Broseph off of the bus. She then sidestepped out of the way, extended her arms towards him, and yelled...

"**TA-DA!**"

Broseph stretched his arms far and wide in order to get the blood circulating into them so he could wake up. But as he took his time coming to, Fin snickered audibly.

Lo stuck her nose up at Fin as she walked away, pulling Broseph along. Fin rolled her eyes before heading in as well, but keeping her distance. Reef was right behind, kissing his gold medal repeatedly.

Beth and Lindsay emerged next, both wearing swimsuits - a one-piece and a bikini, respectively. Two seconds later, they realized that doing so was a mistake, given the chilly, gloomy weather. They rubbed their arms with their hands as they ran inside.

"Lindsay! Wait up!"

Tyler came sprinting off, intending to catch up to his girlfriend. Duncan followed, smiling as he snapped an imaginary whip.

"Poor chump is whipped."

Jen and Caitlin were next off. Jen headed for the grass and started stretching right there and then, first one leg, then the other.

"Um, Jen?"

"I feel good about this, Caitlin! No more Miss Nice Girl! It's all or nothing this time around!"

Jen then jogged in, forcing Caitlin to sprint in after her. Next to exit the bus were Johnny and Wyatt, both of whom just headed in without incident. Next off was Nikki, who was carrying a stack of 8x10 glossy photos, and she was heading for the nearest trash can.

"Nikki! Don't!"

Jonesy ran off the bus, chasing after his girlfriend.

"You can't keep them!"

"But... my babies!"

One would think that Nikki was throwing away photos of Jonesy. But upon dumping them in the trash, one can see that they were actually photos of Courtney.

"I don't want you to see her, and **SHE** doesn't want you to see her! If the only way to get you to stop thinking about Courtney is to throw away all of these headshots of her you have..."

She pushed him inside, as Jonesy wailed loudly for his lost photos. Behind them was an uncharacteristically unhappy Bridgette, who was frowning and had her arms crossed over her chest as she stomped towards the venue entrance. Right behind her was Jude, who seemed to be... pleading for mercy?

"C'mon, golden goddess of the waves! Will you at least talk to me?"

Bridgette kept walking. Jude kept chasing her.

"I don't get it! Why are you shunning me?"

"**HEY! KNITCAP!**"

Jude gave up his chase when he heard someone call from the bus. He ran back and gasped when he saw someone stuck in the door. A someone who was dressed as a whale mascot.

"**OUT! OUT!**"

Jude heard a female voice shout at him, and he sprung into action. He grabbed the whale by the flippers and tugged as hard as he could. He tried several times, but he could not get the whale to budge.

"**ENOUGH! HI-YA!**"

The whale became dislodged after the mascot was kicked in the tailfin extremely hard. Jude landed on the ground, and the mascot landed on top of him, resulting in a face-to-face meeting. The person who had kicked the mascot out was Eva, who had stepped off of the bus. At first, she looked angry, but then she stopped herself, took a few deep breaths, and continued towards the venue without any delay.

Safe from harm, the whale, Wipeout, rolled off of Jude. Jude got up, then helped Wipeout to his feet - while simultaneously realizing that the whale was a guy, given he was wearing only board shorts.

"You're a guy?"

Wipeout crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?" Jude clarified. "Bras can be mascots! I... think."

They both shrugged their shoulders, then headed inside.

* * *

As the cast made their way in, someone was sitting in a canoe in the collection pool at the end of the course of the competitors' first event. That someone was the host, a black-haired Caucasian male wearing a life jacket over his clothes.

"32 teenagers have traveled across the Atlantic, where for the next two-and-a-half weeks, they'll do their best impressions of Summer Olympic athletes! A $300,000 grand prize awaits the last athlete standing, as well as the honor of being Fresh TV's unofficial representative at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London!

"My name is Allen Clark... and welcome to 'Fresh from Europe!'"

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

_[End Act One]_

* * *

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode One - Gate Clippers (05.14.12)**  
**-**

The 32 competitors gathered at the highest point of the venue, which was located very close to the starting line at what would be the first event of the competition. Allen was waiting for them.

"Welcome to London!" Allen greeted them.

Some applause and cheers came from the group. There also happened to be the undeniable sound of chattering teeth. The group parted to reveal Lindsay and Beth, both still in their swimsuits.

"Interesting way to get attention..."

"We're not t-t-t-trying to get attent-t-t-tion," Beth remarked. "We t-t-t-t-thought it was going to be warmer!"

"I'm sure this makes great television, but can someone get these girls some clothes?"

Tyler quickly obliged for his girlfriend, stripping off his jacket and sweatpants and handing them to Lindsay, leaving him in just a sleeveless white shirt and boxer shorts.

"That's not what I meant, eh!"

Lindsay gave her boyfriend a thank you peck on the cheek, then slipped on Tyler's sweats. Meanwhile, no one seemed to want to give Beth the same courtesy. That was, until...

"Here..."

Jen had taken off her hooded jacket and was offering it to Beth.

"Thanks!"

Unlike Tyler, Jen had come prepared, as she had been wearing a thin long-sleeve sweater underneath.

"I'm fine, man!" Tyler said to Allen, giving him a thumbs up.

"If you say so. Now that everyone's dressed appropriately for the weather - if the skies don't open up on us today, that is - let's get right to it!"

"Good!" Johnny declared. "I've been working on my flag-grabbing and flag-seeking skills! I'm not going home on the first day again!"

"Nice to hear," Allen said in response. "Unfortunately, with the larger variety of events to choose from in the Summer Games compared to the Winter Games, we don't need a 'collect the flags' challenge."

"Aw, nuts. Three weeks of prep work for nothing!"

"Don't worry," Reef patted him on the back. "I'm sure you'll find one event to not suck at."

"We are still having a Qualification Challenge, in that we need to determine a fair way to pick some team captains. Those captains, in turn, will select their teams! This time around, we're not starting with pairs, but with foursomes!"

Jonesy snickered as he playfully elbowed Jude in the ribs.

"Foursomes... ha!"

Jude laughed as well. "Yeah. Foursomes rule, dude!"

"We'll determine who gets to be a team captain by sending you down the course behind me... in your first Olympic event! Ladies and gentlemen... this is the Canoe Slalom, C-1 discipline!"

Allen stepped aside and allowed the group to step up to the left-side overlook of the Olympic course at the facility. A feeling of dread swept over the group as they saw the course for the first time, rapids and all.

That feeling would get worse when a guy in a canoe paddled out into the starting pool, geared up with a helmet and a life jacket. The group watched as he made his way onto the course. Most of them were in stunned shock as they watched the guy proceed through the course, navigating the rapids, directing himself through the gates, and surviving each of the four drops - after each of which the water moved along the channel even faster than the last.

After around 95 seconds or so, they saw him reach the finish line, still upright, and in the clear, having gone through the course without missing a single gate.

"Exhilarating, no?" queried Allen, getting their attention back.

No one can seem to muster a response to that question.

"We saw much worse in Vancouver," Heather spoke up. "I'm in."

"If she can do it, than I certainly can!" Jonesy declared. "Let's go!"

Most of the others voiced their acceptance as well.

"Good to hear! Now, let's go over the rules. Every single one of you gets one chance to conquer the course! You must make it from beginning to end in the fastest time possible."

Along the course are gates, indicated by 25 pairs of poles hanging above the course, each with a yellow placard with a number on it. Most of the poles have green and white alternating stripes, the rest have red and white alternating stripes.

"Along the way, you must pass through each of the 25 gates. A successful pass means paddling in-between the two poles that make up a gate. Green gates mean you must pass through them while going downstream, but if you see a red gate, you have to turn around and pass through them while going upstream! The gates are numbered in the order that you must clear them."

A few of the cast members quickly eye the course, or at least what they could see from where they were standing.

"There are time penalties assessed for certain mistakes! Each time you hit a pole, whether it be with your body, your canoe, or your paddle, that is a two-second penalty. Lucky for you, you can only be given such a penalty once per gate. Nevertheless, they can add up quickly if you're not careful."

"What happens if you miss a gate?" asked Ty.

"Good question. Completely missing or skipping any gate on the course nets you a whopping 50-second penalty! Don't miss more than one, though, because the instant you go by a second, you're disqualified!"

Cries of 'What?' and 'No fair!' rang out through the group.

"You all wanna be Olympic athletes? Well, it's the same rules that they're going to be subjected to. So deal with it."

More moaning and groaning could be heard.

"Let's get you geared up and fitted for canoes, people! We've got us some rain to beat!"

Allen made that last statement as ominous dark clouds rolled by to their west.

* * *

15 minutes later, everyone was suited up, with life jackets on and helmets to their sides. There were just a couple last-minute details to take care of.

"You can tell it's been awhile since I've done this since I forgot to tell you what you're playing for!"

"We get prizes?" repeated Beth. "Awesome!"

"We've got seven prize packs filled with London Olympic memorabilia! Everything from the official handbook to the 2012 Games to hats, an assortment of pin badges, and an 8" plush doll of the official London mascot, Wenlock!"

Allen had a photo of everything in the prize pack blown up to picture board size. Naturally, everyone focused on the one-eyed mascot.

"Eew," groaned Caitlin. "Who comes up with these things?"

"Where was I?" Allen wondered, before remembering his place. "Oh, yeah! The seven prize packs go to the four guys and three gals who complete the course in the fastest time. In addition, those seven winners will become the captains of our seven teams!"

"Seven times four is 28," interrupted Sierra, "and there are 32 of us here. Shouldn't there be eight captains?"

"I was getting to that, and no, there should not! Because the two slowest guys and two slowest girls... may be eliminated and sent home."

The group gasped.

"That's right! Four of you might not even get to unpack your bags! It's possibly right back on the plane for you! Cheerio, and all that!"

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I brought 17 days worth of Khaki Barn classics with me. No way I'm leaving London without using all of them."_

"Why is everyone so tense?" asked Jen. "We're all here to have fun, right?"

"Says the girl who wants to kick all our butts!" retorted Heather.

"One last thing," Allen said, pulling out a ten-gallon hat with 32 folded pieces of paper in it, "everyone has to draw for order!"

Since she was the closest to him, Jen watched as Allen stuck the hat right in front of her. She closed her eyes and pulled a slip of paper out. Jen unfolded it to show that she had drawn...

Number '1.'

"Oh ho! Talk about lucky!"

"Gah!" cried Jen. "Thirty-two pieces of paper, and I draw the one that has the number one on it?"

"It sucks to be you!" exclaimed Heather.

* * *

A few minutes later, Jen was in a canoe, paddling her way to the starting line. Not too far behind her were Trent and Izzy, who had drawn '2' and '3,' respectively, who stopped short to give Jen some space. Everyone else, except for the three in the water and the next couple of people behind, who were heading for the canoes at this point in time, gathered near the starting line.

Jen paddled herself into position, then turned towards Allen, who had an air horn in hand.

"Clock starts on the horn! Ready?"

Jen nodded, trying to get focused for the task at hand. Seconds later...

**ERRRRRRRRR!**

...the horn went off, and her run began...

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The horn had just gone off, and Jen started paddling over the start line and into the first drop to begin the course proper. The others watched as Jen started to navigate through the first few gates. Immediately, there was a challenge, because the second gate was the first of four red gates on the course. It did not take her much extra effort to get through it, but upon turning around to point downstream once more, she clipped the post of that gate with her paddle by accident.

"C'mon, Jen!" cheered on Nikki from the side.

As the course got harder and faster on the way down, Jen pushed herself into a good rhythm, somehow maneuvering her way through without any problems. Near the bottom, on one of the last few gates, she ended up hitting a pole with her left elbow in a bit of contact that was unavoidable. Still, that was it for blemishes as she safely paddled her way to and across the finish line, to the cheers of many of her peers.

[Jen - 111.72, Penalties 4.00]

Jen raised her paddle in the air in triumph. First up, first down.

_Confessional Cam - Wyatt_

_"Jen killed it out there! Pressure's on the rest of us now."_

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"That was a lot easier than it looked. Now I just have to hope my time holds up."_

Back up top, Allen had sounded the horn, and Trent was off on his one and only run. Like Jen, Trent had very little trouble breezing through the upper part of the course. But things changed upon taking the third drop, which was the biggest on the course. The speed of the water went up greatly, and Trent was starting to lose control.

He cleared Gate 12, but then hit Gate 13 with his canoe, which knocked him out of position and made him miss Gate 14 completely. He got through 15 and 16, but then had to quickly cross over to the other side of the channel to get 17. But he went too hard, sailing outside of it and heading right for the channel wall. He tried to turn out of it, but it was too late. The back of the canoe hit first, which caused the front to turn back into the wall as well. And with that, his run was over.

"Ouch," commented Cody. "Definitely wasn't expecting that."

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"That water's moving fast! You have to think two or three gates ahead to make sure you stay on course! Man..."_

It also helped if you had a cool head. Izzy, unfortunately, did not, as on her run she got aggravated real quick when the water seemed to keep pulling her in the direction of where she wanted to go. It did not hurt her initially, but eventually she passed by both Gates 7 and 8, the latter being a red gate, ending her run.

Next up was Sierra.

"I dedicate this run to my Cody-kins!" declared Sierra.

The horn went off, and Sierra was off. Jen had just emerged from the boathouse after her run, just in time to see the latter half of Sierra's run. The purple-haired girl was gliding through the course as if the water was only going at about three-quarters speed. She was stunned when Sierra not only got to the finish line, but did so without accruing a single penalty!

[Sierra - 105.20]

"Woo!" Sierra exhaled. "What a rush! Let's see anybody beat that!"

* * *

Beating Sierra's time would first require someone to finish the course. Wipeout's weight was clearly working against him as he tipped over several times, unable to keep himself balanced. He was finally disqualified halfway down after being unable to clear a couple gates. Serena almost becomes the third person to finish, but cannot when she tires out and misses Gates 22 and 24, the latter just a few strokes away from the end of the course. Lindsay has guidance problems, getting stuck, before the river pulled her under and by Gates 7 and 8.

The trend continues as more attempt to complete the course, all bowing out because they missed too many gates. Justin bows out after Gate 11, Nikki after 17, Lo embarrassingly after only 3, Reef after 9, Heather after 19, and Darth after 8.

* * *

"Wait," Kelly said out loud. "Is he actually going to do it?"

"He hasn't missed one yet!" Trent pointed out.

Ripper clipped Gate 25 with his paddle, but he did not care. He had already hit five others on the way down. But none of that mattered, as he had actually made it to the finish line.

"And the guys are finally on the board," Allen announced, stopping the clock. It wasn't pretty, but he got it done!"

[Ripper - 108.03, Penalties 12.00]

"Not many are getting to the finish," Ripper said while still in his canoe, "but just finishing might be all you need to get a captain spot today, probably."

* * *

He might be right, as the assortment of failures continues. Fin loses control in the fast sections and eventually gets knocked out at Gate 21. Duncan was shown throwing his paddle in frustration after being disqualified at Gate 17. Caitlin, Jonesy, and Cody follow with various degrees of success, but none of them reaches the finish line, either.

Eva, according to her words, shows all the posers how it is done as she becomes the fourth person to finish the course. Despite hitting one gate, she has the time to beat even after the penalty.

[Eva - 102.76, Penalties 2.00]

After Beth and Wyatt record DNFs, Bridgette takes to the water like a mad woman. Perhaps a little too mad, as her performance was ragged and she hit an event-high eight gates. But she still managed to do what few have not, and that was reach the finish line.

[Bridgette - 129.51, Penalties 16.00]

Johnny and Emma do decent enough to both make it near the halfway point. Ty finally put a second guy on the board, turning in a flawless run.

[Ty - 112.59]

Tyler follows, and puts in a performance for the ages, sweeping through all 25 gates without hitting any of them, and doing it fast enough to steal the overall lead from Eva.

[Tyler - 100.99]

* * *

Only five competitors were left to go, and the threat of rain that had been looming all day finally delivered, as drops started to fall from the sky... just as Kelly was paddling up to the start line.

"This can't be happening! Why now?"

"What's wrong?" Emma shouted. "Can't handle a little rain, Kel?"

Taking offense to that, Kelly looked over at Allen.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

With that, Allen sounded the horn, and Kelly was off. She would end up not getting to the end, but it was exhaustion that beat her, not ineptitude like Emma - not to mention that she cleared four more gates than her former romantic rival.

* * *

Jude gets along fine, but like most of the decent rowers, the jump in water speed after the third drop throws him off his game. He bowed out soon after. Chrissy, the last girl to make a run, shocked everyone when she gets two-thirds through the course without a penalty. But disaster struck upon trying to clear Gate 19, which was a red gate. She was halfway through it when the current started pulling her sideways. She ended up getting swept into the outer wall near the start of the sweeping left turn heading to the finish.

The rain had picked up to a steady pace as Harold began his run. Between the water splashing around him and that falling from the sky, his glasses became wet and unusable. He misses a few gates early, and that was the end of his run. That left...

* * *

...Broseph, who had drawn '32.'

"Let's go, host guy!" he said, giving a thumbs up to Allen.

Allen sounded the horn, and Broseph was off. He was concentrating hard as he tried to navigate the course by reading the waves and determining which way the rapids were going to throw him. He took his time and carefully guided his way through each and every one of the gates. He was not the fastest to the finish, but again, on this day and on this course, just finishing might be enough to earn him a captain spot.

"So, was that okay, guy? I did good, right?"

[Broseph - 119.37]

* * *

All 32 competitors were gathered once more, continuing to stand outside in the drizzling rain. Allen had the results in hand.

"Okay, we've tabulated the times of those of you who finished, and it's time to name the winners of the first challenge..."

The winners stepped forward as Allen called their names.

"Tyler. Eva. Sierra. Ty. Jen. Broseph. Ripper."

Each of the seven also got an imitation Olympic gold medal for canoeing.

_Confessional Cam - Reef_

_"They get real fake medals and I have to buy a fake medal? This thing is rigged, dude!"_

Reef was not the only one unhappy, as Bridgette was the lone person to finish the race yet not get a medal. She was scowling visibly. Cody saw it and was concerned, but knew that Sierra would be upset if he so much as looked at another girl.

"You seven get the prize packs AND are our seven captains," Allen continued. "You will pick your teams tonight, at a special VIP dinner with me, once we get back to London. Tyler and Eva, as the guy and gal with the best times, you will have a coin flip at the dinner to decide who will pick first and second in the draft. The other five captains will have a random draw afterwards to determine positions three to seven."

The captains nodded, as they tried to figure out how to set up who to pick even if they did not know when they were picking. Allen turned back to the rest of the group.

"Now, the bad news. As I said at the start, the two guys and two gals with the slowest times will be leaving. Unfortunately, since only eight of you actually finished the course, the decision of who is going will have to be based on who made the least progress on the course. In other words, your place is determined by the last gate you cleared before you were disqualified. The unlucky four are..."

Everyone was on pins and needles, anxious to hear who was out.

"Darth, Wyatt, Caitlin, and - as the result of losing a tiebreaker - Lindsay."

Lindsay was the only one that was really shocked by the result, though Johnny was smiling about surviving the cut.

"Lindsay and Izzy both bowed out at Gate 8. Since you both **ALSO** missed Gate 7, then we have to look at which one of you was the slowest to clear Gate 6. Izzy got it two seconds faster than you did, Lindsay."

Izzy breathed a huge sigh of relief as Lindsay looked over at Tyler with sad, puppy dog eyes. She gave him one last kiss, then joined Darth, Wyatt, and Caitlin in the departing group of losers. The four waved goodbye, then walked out of the venue, and assumedly back to the road to get a ride to the airport for the plane ride home.

Once they were out of sight...

"As for the rest of you, we're getting out of the rain and you're going to be seeing where you're staying for the next 17 days. Captains, start thinking about which three people you want on your team. Make sure you choose carefully, because your selections will impact how far you and your team will get in this game."

With that, Allen exited the venue. Soon after, the 28 remaining competitors began the walk back to the bus for the trip to London. Most of them were tired, wet, and hungry, and they knew there was more to come.

For this... was just the first day.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(This season, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"Bros rule and betties drool!" shouted Jonesy.

"**YEAH!**" yelled Jude, Broseph, and Reef simultaneously.

_(Some people are here to win...)_

"Do what I say," Eva threatened, "or find yourself someone else to save your scrawny tail!"

"You're going down!" Jen said as she pulled down her fencing mask.

"Not in this lifetime!" Ripper shot back as he did likewise.

_(Others are here to flirt...)_

"Isn't he so dreamy?" Caitlin cooed as she stared at Justin.

"Hands off!" Chrissy snapped. "I've been wanting to get my hooks into him since Day One!"

"Hey, everyone, come look!" Izzy yelled. "Izzy sees Tyler and Lindsay doing some PG-13 stuff. That tongue shouldn't go there, you know, ha ha!"

"Part of me wishes that was me in there."

Johnny suddenly realized that several people were staring at him.

"And I said that out loud, didn't I?"

_(And others, well... we still don't know why they're here...)_

"So," Cody asked, "do you actually sleep in that?"

Wipeout just stood there and shrugged his shoulders.

"Why are you even here?" Trent asked.

"Why are **YOU** even here?" Duncan shot back, angrily.

"That blonde girl threw her pillow at me!" complained Chrissy.

"Eh, you probably deserved it," guessed Nikki.

"I don't remember Bridgette being so... so... so..."

"I'd fill in the blanks, Em," Fin admitted, "but I've got nothing. What is wrong with that girl?"

Heather screamed as Bridgette wrapped her arms around her midsection and took her down to the mat.

_(The only thing we know is that there can only be one winner...)_

Tyler blasted the ball with as much kicking power as he could muster. He then watched as it land to his left, in the stands, about ten rows back.

"We get do-overs, right?"

Gasps could be heard as Fin went into a handstand, with her back to the edge of the platform.

"She's really going to do it?" asked Jen, in concern.

Heather and Duncan stood side-by-side, ready to duel with their bows and arrows.

"Only one of us is losing this," Heather declared, "and it's **NOT** gonna be me!"

_(Who will win gold and take home $300,000?)_

"Ready..."

_Confessional Cam - ?_

_"Whomever wins this will be fastest teenager in Canada!"_

"Set..."

The four finalists raised into position. All that was left was...

**BANG!**

"Dude!" Jude gasped in amazement. "She did it again! Again, she did! Dudette! How... **AWESOME!**"

_(It's all this season on 'Fresh from Europe.')_

A farting sound could be heard, and seconds later, the door to the apartment flew open. Emma, Fin, Kelly, and Heather ran out into the hall and into the stairs, heading down. Ripper popped his head out a moment later, confused.

"Not my fault you said you wanted natural gas!"

_(Two-night premiere event continues tomorrow!)_


	2. BMX SOS

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Apologies for the delay, but here's part two of the two-episode season premiere!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe**  
**Episode Two - BMX SOS (05.15.12)**  
**-**

There are many places to see in London. Buckingham Palace. Big Ben. The Tower of London. Madame Tussauds. Piccadilly Circus. Westminster Abbey. The list goes on and on. While in London, the cast was planning to spend their down time visiting these places, and perhaps many more.

But first things first! The cast was heading for 'Future' Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, currently known simply as Olympic Park, for it was to house not only the Olympic Village, where all of the athletes from across the world were to stay during the games, but a large number of venues as well. The double-decker bus carrying them passed by some of those venues on their way to the village: the Aquatics Centre, the Copper Box, and the Olympic Stadium.

The bus stopped in the village, which consisted of a number of high-rises that, after the Games, were to be repurposed into apartments, townhouses, small businesses, and an all-years academy. For next two weeks or so, though, the 28 remaining teenagers from Canada would reside here. Or, to be more specific, in one of the buildings here.

* * *

The door to one of the apartments was opened up, and Caitlin led the way in. Unfortunately, it was not what she had imagined.

"Um, are we sure we're in the right place?"

Jen and Nikki followed her in, and they noticed it was sparsely furnished. There was a kitchen with a microwave and a refrigerator, a washer and dryer off to the side in its own compartment, and a few chairs. There were two full size beds and a dresser in each of the side rooms.

Nikki walked over to the sliding door leading to the balcony. She opened the door and stepped out.

"Nice view," she quipped sarcastically, as the view was of the surrounding buildings and the flower-filled courtyard below.

"Well, there are more people here this time," Jen reasoned. "Not enough in the budget, perhaps?"

* * *

It only took Eva ten minutes to unpack, perhaps because half of her stuff were weights and other assorted exercise equipment. Beth, Chrissy, and Izzy - three of the five who were sharing this particular apartment with her - watched as Eva did arm curls with a 15-pound dumbbell with one hand and wrote on a notepad that was on her upper left leg with the other.

"I think she's trying to figure out whom she wants on her team," Beth thought aloud.

"What do we do? I don't want to be on that... thing's team!"

"Gee, Chrissy, was it? You sure are getting worked up about this!"

"That blonde girl threw her pillow at me!" complained Chrissy.

Beth was confused. Eva was not a blonde. Chrissy tried to clarify.

"Somebody told me her name. It's Brittany, or maybe Barbara, or Brandy..."

Catching the hint, Beth shouted, "Bridgette!"

"Yeah! That's it! Like, I don't know what set her off. All I said were that jean shorts were so butch! They are, BTW."

* * *

Jen was in her room, also contemplating whom to draft for her team as her roommate, Caitlin, hung all her clothes in the closet.

"Hey-yyyy!"

The pair turned to the door, hearing a third voice cut in. Heather's.

"How did you get in here?" asked Jen.

"I let myself in, but that's not important. Jen, I have a proposition..."

"Save your breath, 'cause it's not happening. I'm not putting you on my team."

"How about **ME**?" asked Cody, who was trying to get past Heather and pop his head into the bedroom. "You gotta pick me!"

"Isn't your on-again, off-again girlfriend-slash-fiancé-slash-wife Sierra going to be against that? Last thing I want is for her to hate me even more."

* * *

But Sierra was already planning for that, as she had gone to Tyler's apartment to ask him a request.

"So let me see if I have this right," Tyler said aloud, "instead of you picking Cody, you want **ME** to pick him?"

"That's right!"

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"Cody's not the best athlete, but having him as a teammate will keep Sierra from voting us out!"_

* * *

That night, the seven captains were whisked away to an extravagant dinner with the host, Allen, for an introduction to British cuisine. And it did not include fish and chips, to the disappointment of some. But although the food was nice, they had a draft to complete.

"It's time to begin the draft. But first, we need to determine draft order. Tyler and Eva, please come up."

The two got up from their seats and approached Allen. He had a one pence coin in hand.

"Eva, you have the honor. Heads or tails?"

"Tails."

Allen tossed the coin and it flipped end over end in the air. It landed tails.

"Tails it is. Eva, you have the first pick. Tyler, you're second. As for the rest of you, there is a small white ball taped to the underside of your chairs. I'd like to ask for you all to pull them out right now. The number on it represents your number in the draft order."

After seeing their balls, the rest of draft was going to go Ripper, Broseph, Jen, Ty, and Sierra. Everyone then, including Eva and Tyler, took their seats. The draft then gets underway, but it was not shown on screen.

* * *

A couple hours later, the captains returned to the Olympic Village. Outside of their building, they found the other 24 competitors waiting for them. They had been separated into groups of three, with each aware that the fourth member of their team would be one of the seven captains. Many of the usual suspects already appeared unhappy without knowing who selected them. Kelly was standing with Trent and Wipeout. Duncan had Justin and Bridgette alongside him. And Heather was grouped with Chrissy and Cody.

Each of the captains was wearing a shirt in his or her newly established team color, and they had three more shirts in hand to give to his or her selections. Eva, dressed in gold, was first.

"My team's going for gold!" she exclaimed.

To Kelly's horror, Eva walked over to her group. Trent was smiling, though uncomfortably, and Wipeout was dancing with glee. Tyler was next, and Sierra had a scowl of displeasure on her face. Because she already knew what was coming next... Tyler walked past the group with Cody in it and instead handed his silver shirts to Fin, Izzy, and... Harold.

"Sweet!" Harold shouted. "I wasn't picked last!"

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"I know I was supposed to pick Cody, but in the heat of the moment, I forgot and selected Harold instead! What was I supposed to do? There weren't takebacks!"_

Ripper high-fived Reef, whom he had selected for the Bronze Team, along with a delighted Emma and a confused Nikki. Broseph, captain of the Red Team, walked over to a weak-on-paper group of Jude, Caitlin, and Serena. They were happy regardless.

Jen, on the other hand, had what looked to be the strongest group of the bunch as she handed her white shirts to the 'Total Drama' trio of Duncan, Bridgette, and Justin. Ty was next, dressed in a maple shirt. He was the one who ended up with Cody, Chrissy, and Heather.

As the others started heading inside to mingle and begin discussing possible strategy, that left one captain and one unclaimed trio.

"Welcome to Sierra's Superstars!" the Blue Team captain proclaimed.

Beth clapped with glee, Johnny was just happy to be on a team, and Jonesy was wondering how he got saddled with such a team.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The sun had just come up the next morning, and already several of the competitors were scrambling. A fruit and muffin basket, one of which had been delivered to each of the six apartments being used, was sitting on the counter in the room in particular.

_Confessional Cam - Emma_

_"So this morning, we get this cute basket of goodies delivered to us! There was also this phone in it, that when we turned it on, had a text message sent to us already."_

Flip to another apartment, where Johnny was seen reading said message aloud to Ty and Ripper.

"Today's challenge is at the BMX Track, located next to the Velopark. Be there by 8:30. Dress in team shirt, long pants, and sneakers or any other comfortable shoes you aren't afraid of getting dirty."

* * *

The group was greeted once again by overcast skies as they arrived at the BMX Track. Most of the girls were bringing up the rear, as they had to rush there after a hectic morning.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"What madness! Like, how can they expect six girls to share one bathroom? I had to cut my 40-minute soak in the tub in half! **HALF, PEOPLE!**"_

To their surprise, Allen was not waiting for them alone. With him this morning was a certain whale mascot...

"Wipeout?" Johnny shouted. "How? When? What?"

"Never figured the finhead to be a morning person," joked Duncan.

"Good morning, everyone!" Allen greeted.

He got a mix of greetings back, from happy and cheerful to dark and despairing.

"Today, weather permitting, you'll be taking on your second Summer Olympic discipline... the BMX Cycling event!"

Behind Allen stood the outdoor BMX track, which included a huge dirt slope from the starting gates into the course, as well as ramps, banked hairpin turns, and a tunnel. Again, there was a mix of reactions depending on how excited or not each competitor was.

"There are three rounds. We'll start with the qualifying round, which consists of four heats featuring one rider from each team per heat. The first four to reach the finish line in each heat move on to the semifinals. Same thing in the semis... two heats, and the top four again move on. You want to get to the final, because the first person to cross the finish in that race wins today's challenge for their team. Sounds simple, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Before we get started, we have to get you all fitted for helmets **AND** BMX bikes. And there's **ALSO** one surprise."

Allen turned to his left. Everyone else did the same, and to their surprise, they saw four familiar faces walking their way, all wearing violet-colored shirts.

"Look, who's back, baby!" Lo shouted with authority.

Sure enough, she, along with Darth, Wyatt, and Lindsay, walked up to the group, with smiles on their faces.

"We thought we were rid of you!" growled Kelly.

"Lindsay!" Tyler cried. "My Lindsay's back!"

"Wyatt's back, alright!" exclaimed Jude. "And Darth, too!"

"So," Allen cut in, "when I said yesterday that the four losers might be going home, I actually meant not at all! Everyone, the Violet Team!"

After the foursome was welcomed back with mostly open arms, they all calmed down and turned their attention back to Allen. There was a challenge to do, after all.

"I suppose this is a good time to remind you all of Elimination Challenges. For those of you who were with us back in Vancouver in 2010, the only way out of the competition is to lose an Elimination Challenge, or EC. ECs usually require the participants to repeat the event, usually in a smaller portion. The last team or individual to finish the EC is eliminated and is sent home.

"There are several ways to be forced to compete in an EC. The first is to finish the challenge in last place. In today's case, we'll consider last place to be any team that does **NOT** have any of its members make it out of the qualifying round. The second is by being voted in. The team that wins the challenge can select any one team and throw them into the EC.

"This time around, there is a third way to get dropped into the EC. In certain challenges, the team or individual that escaped elimination in the previous event will be given an additional stipulation in the following event that they must meet, or they will be forced to compete in the EC once again. Violet Team, you were informed of this new rule last night. What you weren't told was what your stipulation is. I'll tell you right now so that everyone here knows what it is.

"Violet Team! To avoid being forced automatically to be in the EC, at least one member of your team must not only make the final, but start it as well."

The Violet Team nodded, understanding.

"Note that even if you do meet that stipulation, Violet Team, if you do not win the event, you are still subject to being voted in by the winning team, just like everyone else. Everyone got it?"

"Don't worry," Wyatt said aloud. "We'll do our best to win."

"Sounding confident there, Wyatt. Good. Now, the winning team, in addition to earn immunity, each member of that team wins today's prize: a Lumix DMC-TS20 Digital Camera, courtesy of Panasonic, one of the proud sponsors of the 2012 Summer Olympics. And you can enjoy them all after the race."

The group seemed pleased with the prize offering.

"Alright, let's get you all suited up and drawn into heats."

* * *

There was no wind, as there had been yesterday, but the overcast skies and the threat of rain pushed for the competition to start as soon as possible. After a quick walkthrough of the course and the drawing of heats and lanes, the competition began.

[Preliminary Round, Heat One - Lane Assignments:  
1-Justin 2-Izzy 3-Reef 4-Eva 5-Wyatt 6-Jude 7-Chrissy 8-Beth]

The eight riders in Heat One were in position, on their bikes and in the starting gates. A five-second countdown of beeps initiated, at the end of which the gates would open, and the race would begin.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEEEEEP!**

The gates flew open, and all eight riders flew down the slope and onto the course. The first turn was a lefthander, but the course narrowed to the right before it, which meant those in the higher-numbered lanes had to get over as fast as possible.

Reef and Eva are neck-and-neck at the front, with the latter, trying to beat the former to the choke point. But she could not pull ahead, and with Reef not giving her any room, she was forced to slow down to avoid hitting the barrier. And she was not happy about it.

"**HEY!**"

"No betty's beating me, even one with muscles!"

Her slowing down causes a small bottleneck behind her, but Jude and Izzy manage to get by on the outside. Reef has the clear lead after the first banked hairpin turn. Jude is on the inside of Izzy as they emerge side-by-side for second, followed by the rest of the field all bunched up, with Eva second in that trailing group of five.

The racers head down into the tunnel and out the other side, and go into the second hairpin. Eva gets by Justin to get back into the fourth and final transfer spot, but the miffed look on her face showed that she wanted more.

Into the rhythm section, and Reef, not sure how to take it, slows down. Jude and Izzy are slow through it as well. But not Eva, who passes them and makes it to Reef's back wheel by the time they get into the third and final hairpin.

In the homestretch, Eva navigates the final few hills well enough to pull alongside Reef...

"I'll show you!"

And she sticks out her left foot and kicks Reef's bike. He falls off instantly, tumbling into the dirt and stopping one hill short of the finish. Eva laughed as she crossed the finish line, the winner of the heat.

"Oh, come on!" Reef cried. "That's a foul!"

Reef walked off the course, not even thinking about finishing, as Jude passes him to take second, followed by Izzy and Justin. Wyatt and Chrissy are further back, and Beth had decided to walk off the course at some point, leaving her without a finish as well.

After the race, Allen made a ruling.

"Eva, sorry to say, but you've been disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct."

"Whatever," Eva grumbled. "The fuzzbag deserved it."

Reef pumped his fist with glee. "That means I move on, right?"

"You would have... if you had finished the race. Since you were still capable of doing so, you would've only been compensated had you finished AND not been one of the first four across. You didn't finish the race, so you can't advance."

"**WHAT?** How come no one told me I had to finish?"

"I thought it was obvious. Anyway, with Eva's disqualification, the next finisher not already moving on will take her spot in the semis. That means Wyatt, you're moving on!"

"I am?" Wyatt exclaimed. "Alright!"

He high-fived his teammates.

* * *

[Preliminary Round, Heat Two - Lane Assignments:  
1-Emma 2-Lindsay 3-Jonesy 4-Jen 5-Broseph 6-Heather 7-Harold 8-Wipeout]

The second heat started off fast, as Lindsay, Jonesy, Jen, and Heather go all out for the 'hole shot.' At the back, Wipeout lived up to his name and wiped out after the first hill. Since it was his own fault for landing badly, the race continued on.

Jonesy and the trio of girls form a straight drafting line as they exit Turn One and head for the tunnel and Turn Two. Heather was in second, followed by Lindsay and Jen. Emma and Harold were trying to keep up, both a few bike lengths behind the group.

The front four remained in line until after Turn Two, when Jen pulled out to make her move. She passes Lindsay and is on Heather's outside as they go into the final turn.

On the homestretch, Jonesy has pulled away, and the three girls spread out, racing each other to the finish. But Harold had caught up to them, and he attempted to get by one of them to try and snatch the final transfer spot away. Jonesy won the heat without doubt, but positions two through five had to be determined by photo finish. After analyzing the photo, Harold learned that he had come up just short - Jen had beaten him for the final transfer spot by less than half a wheel.

* * *

[Preliminary Round, Heat Three - Lane Assignments:  
1-Darth 2-Nikki 3-Duncan 4-Tyler 5-Sierra 6-Kelly 7-Cody 8-Caitlin]

Heat three started off as hectic as the previous one, as everyone except for Darth and Caitlin fought for the hole shot. The boys in the group move to the front when disaster struck right after the last hill leading up to the narrowing point and the first turn. Cody, attempting to move over, did not have his bike pointing straight ahead when he came down. As a result, his front wheel came down first, and at an angle. He could not handle the unbalanced impact, and Cody went flying off of his bike. He hit the dirt ground, rolling a few times before stopping near the inner barrier. Sierra, who was right behind Cody, managed to dodge him. Kelly tried to do the same, but Caitlin, who was right behind her, could not stop in time and she ran into her, knocking both of them off their bikes.

"**CODY!**"

Sierra jumped off her bike and ran back to check on Cody, the race continuing on without her. She already saw the on-site paramedics heading over, but she started taking preemptive action by slowly moving Cody so that he was lying on his back, then she worked to unlatch his helmet from his head. The helmet had a small dent in its crown, but otherwise was still intact as designed.

By the time Sierra had gotten the helmet off, the race was over, and Tyler, Nikki, Duncan, and Kelly - who had gotten back on her bike and had made a miracle comeback just to advance - were moving on. But that was the last thing on Sierra's mind, as she saw that Cody was breathing, but had been knocked unconscious by the crash.

"Cody? Cody! **CODY!**"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The third heat of four in the preliminaries had just concluded, but one of its participants was still lying on the course, unconscious. Cody was out like a light, and Sierra was in a panic as the paramedics had arrived. They began their diagnosis.

Up at the starting gates, the participants in the fourth and final preliminary heat waited anxiously, some of them walking up to the starting gates so they could see what was going on, as Cody again had crashed near the end of the first straightaway. One of the riders up there, Trent, was especially concerned.

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"Cody and I are good friends, so seeing him getting hurt is devastating. I really, really hope, he's okay."_

* * *

As the diagnosis continued and the other participants, who were now gathered around the starting gates, they were beginning to fear the worst. Particularly when they saw an ambulance driving onto the course nearby. Several members of the gang were devastated as a gurney was wheeled out and a few other paramedics had come over to assist in getting Cody off of the ground and onto the gurney.

Everyone was silent as the paramedics did their thing. Once he was safely on the gurney, they started to wheel him over to the ambulance.

"**DON'T WORRY!**" Sierra yelled up to the gang. "**I'LL STAY WITH CODY UNTIL HE'S SAFE!**"

With that, Sierra followed the medics off the course towards the ambulance. Cody and Sierra's bikes had since been removed from the track, and the dirt was being moved around and the barriers checked for damage. Back up at the top, those scheduled to run in the last preliminary heat now had to go through the uneasy process of psyching themselves back up for competition.

_Confessional Cam - Lo_

_"I'm honestly scared right now. I don't want to end up like Cody! I'm too young to be knocked out by a pile of dirt!"_

* * *

The decision was not easy to make, but the challenge had to resume.

[Preliminary Round, Heat Four - Lane Assignments:  
1-Johnny 2-Serena 3-Trent 4-Ty 5-Ripper 6-Fin 7-Bridgette 8-Lo]

Still, you could tell Cody's crash had an effect on the challenge, as this group was riding more conservatively than the previous two. There was very little bumping, if any, and more giving way to others. Ty, Ripper, and Fin pull away from the group, and they all cruise easily into the next round. The only real drama is for the final transfer spot, which Serena edges Trent for at the line. There was also more tension when Bridgette was thrown from her bike in the first rhythm section after a bad landing of her own. Thankfully, she got back up quickly and finished the race.

* * *

During a short break between the preliminaries and the semifinals, the ambulance carrying Cody departed from the venue. Sierra was seen in the back window of the vehicle as it left.

_Confessional Cam - Sierra_

_"When we had that so-called wedding at Niagara Falls, I vowed to be with you until death do we part, Cody! I... I... I just hope... **WAAAAAAAAH!**"_

* * *

As Cody made his way to the hospital, the challenge moved into the semifinal round.

[Semifinal Round, Heat One - Lane Assignments:  
1-Justin 2-Jude 3-Lindsay 4-Jonesy 5-Heather 6-Jen 7-Izzy 8-Wyatt]

The gates opened, and they were off! The racers became aggressive as they fought for the hole shot. Jude led the way, but he was on the outside of Jonesy going into the first turn. Heather, Jen, Lindsay, and Izzy were bunched up right behind to form a lead pack of six.

Jude continued to lead into the tunnel. Into the second turn, Jonesy turned late, and Heather followed him, as Jen dove to the inside and passed them both. Heather then goes inside Jonesy, who was now way outside, allowing Lindsay and Izzy to get by him.

Jen caught up to Jude on the homestretch, and he let her by without a fight. The battle to watch was behind them. Heather was faltering down the stretch as she could not navigate the rhythm section. The fourth and final transfer spot again needed to be determined by a photo finish between Izzy and a charging Jonesy. The end result? Izzy, by a nose, advanced to the final along with Jen, Jude, and Lindsay.

* * *

[Semifinal Round, Heat Two - Lane Assignments:  
1-Duncan 2-Serena 3-Ripper 4-Tyler 5-Ty 6-Fin 7-Nikki 8-Kelly]

Back at the start, the second semifinal heat was about to begin. Once the gates went down, things get chaotic. The race was on to get the lead. Ripper succeeded in getting, followed by Tyler, Duncan, Ty, Serena, Fin, Kelly, and Nikki. Surprisingly, there were no incidents.

That would not last long. On the way down into the tunnel, Tyler fell off of his bike while holding second place. Everyone behind him scrambled to avoid landing on him or his bike. All of them succeeded in dodging him. The incident, though, allowed Ripper to race out to an insurmountable lead.

Ripper easily wins the heat, and Duncan and Serena pull away enough to comfortably move on as well. Ty and Fin cross nearly side-by-side at the finish, with Ty getting the call by photo finish to move on.

* * *

[Final Round - Lane Assignments:  
1-Izzy 2-Serena 3-Jude 4-Ripper 5-Jen 6-Duncan 7-Lindsay 8-Ty]

It was time for the final race. The first rider to cross the finish line would win the event for their team. Six of the eight teams had a chance to earn immunity.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEEEEEP!**

Teammates Jude and Serena beat everyone to the first turn, with the other pair of teammates in Jen and Duncan had Ripper sandwiched in between them. Jude takes the inside line heading into the tunnel with Ripper pushing up to third, but trapped where he was with Serena hanging to his outside.

Jude opened up a bike-length gap heading into the rhythm section. Ripper and Duncan gave chase, leaving the girls behind.

Jude went wide in the last turn, opening the door for Ripper to steal the win. Ripper pulled along to Jude's left and it was a race to the line. Jude did his best to hold him off, but it was no use. Ripper edged Jude at the line, beating him by a wheel. Reef, Emma, and Nikki celebrate as they mobbed their teammate in the finish area.

* * *

Afterwards, the Bronze Team received gold medals for winning the event, and received applause for their efforts.

"Congratulations, Bronze Team! You guys are today's winners, all thanks to Ripper, who won the final."

Ripper took a bow for his performance.

"All four of you get a Lumix DMC-TS20 Digital Camera, courtesy of Panasonic. But even more valuable is the opportunity to choose who competes in the EC. Now, since all eight teams had at least one person advanced out of the preliminaries and the Violet Team had at least one person get to the final, that means that no teams are automatically in the EC. Thus, Bronze Team, you will have to pick two teams to send into the EC. You guys have a minute to think about it, and then I need your selections."

Ripper, Reef, Emma, and Nikki started discussing off to the side.

"I say we throw the Maple Team in," suggested Reef. "Heather needs to go first. Again."

"But Ty's on that team!" argued Emma.

"Yeah. And so is Cody. He may not be an athlete, but I'm not adding insult to injury."

"What about the Gold Team?" pondered Reef. "We all don't like Kelly, and Eva is scary, dudes!"

"Point taken," Nikki said. "But they have the whale. His presence alone pushes them down on the list of threatening teams."

"How about the Blue Team?"

"They're down Sierra," said Ripper. "And Jonesy..."

"Non-issue," Nikki told them. "We may be dating, but we're competing against each other. He'll be fine either way."

"Violet Team, guys?"

"Can't," Emma stated. "Lo's on that..."

"Emma, stop trying to save everyone!" growled Nikki.

"Shiela's right, Em," Ripper added. "We gotta put someone in."

"Reef, back me up on this!"

"Like I care about Miss High Maintenance? See ya, Lo!"

"But..."

"I think we have our two teams," Ripper said.

They broke their huddle and Ripper told Allen of their decision.

"We select the Blue Team and the Violet Team."

The Blue Team was not happy, while the Violet Team was not surprised.

_Confessional Cam - Lo_

_"Ugh, again with everyone singling me out as the weakling! Why do they keep doing that?"_

_Confessional Cam - Darth_

_"Well, Julie, I guess I'm booking an early ticket home."_

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"So much for all that training. Sigh..."_

* * *

The two competing teams were back up at the start of the course. Everyone else was waiting at the finish line to see which team would survive the game's first elimination.

[Elimination Challenge - Lane Assignments:  
1-OPEN 2-Lindsay 3-Beth 4-Wyatt 5-Jonesy 6-Darth 7-Johnny 8-Lo]

"Violet Team, everyone thought you guys were already sent home yesterday. Blue Team, you are participation in the EC down one person. The ONLY number that should matter to both teams is the number one. This first EC is a survival race. The first rider to reach the finish line saves their team from elimination and guarantees themselves at least another day in London. The other team goes home. For real."

Jonesy smiled in Lane 5. He could easily tell that he was by far the best rider in the field. And he believed everyone else thought it as well.

"Good luck to you all, and see you at the finish."

A couple minutes later, after Allen had made his way to the finish line, the countdown lights started going off.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEEEEEP!**

The gates dropped, and the riders were away. A determined Lindsay led early, but Jonesy caught her and got to her inside going into Turn One. Lindsay was the Violet Team's only hope of surviving, and she could not let Jonesy get away from her.

Jonesy looked back to see how close Lindsay was. She was almost on his back wheel. As they headed into the tunnel, his eyes wandered down towards Lindsay's cleavage. That was enough to distract him, causing him to again go wide in the second turn. Lindsay waved goodbye as she got past and started leaving him in the dust. As Jonesy got his momentum, Wyatt got alongside him.

"Go away, Wyatt!"

"Sorry, Jonesy, but I'm not ready to go home!"

Into and through the final turn, and Lindsay was still in front. Jonesy had the inside line and he used to clear Wyatt. But was there enough time to catch Lindsay? He pedaled with all his might, clearing the last few hills. But the gap was too great, as was Lindsay's will. The buxom blonde was the first to cross, beating Jonesy to the line by almost a full second.

"I won?" she asked, playing dumb. "**I WON! YES!**"

Lindsay hopped off her bike and celebrated as the rest of her team came in, all congratulating her on a great ride. Meanwhile, Jonesy was in disbelief, while Johnny and Beth sighed in defeat.

_Confession Cam - Jonesy_

_"We didn't need Sierra for that challenge. I could've and should've won that and I let myself get distracted! Stupid, sexy Lindsay! Wait... Nikki's gonna see this later, isn't she?"_

* * *

"At this time," Allen proclaimed, "Violet Team, I deem you safe from elimination. You may rejoin the other teams."

The Violet Team did so, leaving the Blue Team with Allen.

"I'm sorry, Blue Team. We don't ever want to get rid of anyone, but this is a competition. I'm sorry, guys. Time for you to go."

Once that declaration was made, Lindsay was bawling her eyes out as she ran over to give Beth one last hug goodbye.

"I'm sorry I'm sending you home! I... I want you stay!"

"It's alright," Beth said as she let Lindsay cry into her shirt. "You did what you had to do."

"Are you going to be okay?" Emma asked Johnny.

"Yeah," he said, holding back tears. "I... I just have to figure out how to prepare for these things better."

"We'll miss you."

Emma hugged him, and she was quickly joined by Fin, Lo, Reef, and Broseph. Meanwhile, Nikki was having trouble coming up with words to say to Jonesy.

"So much for spending time together to figure out this long-distance thing," Nikki said nervously.

"We may have been together a day or so this time," Jonesy said, "but there's no other girl I'd rather be with than you."

He and Nikki kissed, resulting in a few aww's from the others. With that, the trio headed out the way they came in.

"The first four are gone," Allen said, "but there's still 28 of you left. Which team will be the next to leave? You all can head back to the Village, and I'll see you tomorrow."

The 27 present members of the remaining teams turned around and filed out the venue. But they were not looking ahead to what Olympic event they would be trying tomorrow...

Instead, they anxiously wondered about the status of one of their own.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"I really hope Cody makes it," Jen admitted aloud.

"Yeah," sighed Caitlin. "I hope so too."

_(What's going to happen to Cody?)_

"Why so bummed, bro?" Jude asked Broseph.

"Isn't it obvious, dude?"

"Here's the latest news on Cody..." began Allen.

A lot of gasping can be heard.

_(And it's time to swim...)_

"Breaststroke," said Reef with a grin. "Such a funny word..."

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"I admit. I'm jealous. Just... look at her!"_

Fin chuckled. "You're telling me you can swim? With **THOSE**?"

_(And Bridgette shows her dark side...)_

Jen was holding Bridgette back as she laid a verbal assault into one of her other teammates.

"I swear, Duncan, I will **NEVER** forgive you if we go home because of you!"

"Oh, blow it out your dolphin hole!"

_(On the next all-new 'Fresh from Europe,' next Tuesday night!)_


	3. Legal Swim

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Onto episode three! And, the day after each episode is posted, make sure you're going to my website, Freedom Fighter's Library, to check out two weekly extras. "Aftermath Minute," which features Geoff interviewing the latest eliminated team, in exactly one minute, and "Crash Test Beauties," which has two sets of twins - Katie and Sadie AND Kristen and Kirsten - testing out the events beforehand, as well as a few the competitors aren't going to try! So check them out!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"Welcome to London!" Allen greeted them. "Tyler. Eva. Sierra. Ty. Jen. Broseph. Ripper. You seven get the prize packs **AND** are our seven captains."

"Welcome to Sierra's Superstars!" the Blue Team captain proclaimed.

Beth clapped with glee, Johnny was just happy to be on a team, and Jonesy was wondering how he got saddled with such a team.

"**CODY!**"

During a short break, the ambulance carrying Cody departed from the venue.

"I'm sorry, Blue Team. Time for you to go."

With that, the trio of Beth, Johnny, and Jonesy headed out the way they came in.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Three - Legal Swim (05.22.12)**  
**-**

The walk back to the Olympic Village was very dreary, as everyone's minds were on Cody and what had happened to him.

"I really hope Cody makes it," Jen admitted aloud.

"Yeah," sighed Caitlin. "I hope so too."

"Who cares?" questioned Kelly.

"Yeah," added Heather. "One less loser to worry about."

Jen and Caitlin were about to rip into Kelly and Heather, but the latter two's opinions were supported by...

"I'm with the shielas," Ripper admitted. "He knew what he was getting into. It's unfortunate, but there are risks in these kinds of competitions."

"I'm with the Ripster," piped in Reef. "Good riddance to weaklings."

_Confessional Cam - Caitlin_

_"How can they be so... mean? Cody's more than a fellow competitor! He's a human being!"_

Serena was watching the scene between the two sides unfold from a few people behind.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"Sure, I have an opinion. But do I want to voice it? No way! I'm tryin' not to get cut early! Stay out of the way, I say."_

* * *

Once back at the Village, Cody's teammates met in the hall to discuss what was to come next.

"As much as I didn't like the geek," Heather admitted, "without him we're a boy, er, man down."

"So, like, what do we do?" asked Chrissy. "Surely we're not just gonna throw in the towel already."

"Why? 'Cause you haven't had a chance to go shopping here yet?"

Chrissy gasped.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Okay, like, for the record, I was not gonna say that. First."_

"We'll just have to make do," spoke up Ty. "Besides, the three of us are a pretty formidable bunch. I'm sure we can manage."

"I have no qualms about your ability to carry this team," Heather told him. "None about me, either. Malibu Barbie here, on the other hand..."

"Like, excuse me?" Chrissy snapped. "We're still here. I haven't cost us a challenge yet. Plus, I outrank you!"

"What?"

"I'm older than you! So is Ty! So I, like, **SO** wouldn't be barking orders at people."

Heather huffed. Ty spoke up to diffuse the situation.

"We can't be having this now, girls. Let's focus on winning for now. If we make to the individual stage, then you girls can have at it."

"So fine by me," agreed Chrissy.

"Likewise," stated Heather.

"Good."

Ty walked over, leaving Chrissy and Heather to scowl each other as they headed for the stairs to go back to their rooms.

* * *

"I can't believe he's gone," Reef said, shedding a tear.

He was staring a photo of Jonesy, which he had left behind. Jude walked up to share his thoughts in the impromptu memorial.

"He was so young, man! He had so much to live for! And an alliance to be a part of..."

* * *

Flashback to the first night...

"So we're all in agreement?" Jonesy asked as he looked at his brethren. "We try and keep our teams alive, and then when the teams merge, the four of us push to get rid of all the girls."

"I'm so down with that!" exclaimed Reef. "Betties need to know their place."

"I hear you, guy!" added Broseph.

"This is a bros' game, man," chuckled Jude. "To the bros, bros!"

"Alright!" shouted Jonesy. "Let's make that our alliance motto! Bros rule and betties drool!"

"**YEAH!**" yelled Jude, Broseph, and Reef simultaneously.

* * *

Present time...

"Some alliance," grumbled Reef. "Everyone knows it takes four to make a good alliance."

"We could try to get someone else to replace him," suggested Jude.

"Nah. It wouldn't be the same. At least IMO. Broseph, dude, what do you..."

They turned to Broseph to get his opinion, but he was not paying attention. He was sighing as he looked longingly out the window.

"Whoa," Jude said. "The little dude's wipeout must've really hit him hard."

"He's not thinking about him," Reef shouted. "I've seen that look before. He's... wavesick."

_Confessional Cam - Broseph_

_"I knew that coming here I wouldn't be able to get my wave-age on. But I never thought I'd miss it so much that I'd be bummed out after only two days. Aw, dude... I'm starting to think this was a mistake."_

"Should we do something?" Jude asked.

"Like what? Even if there were a beach near here, no board. Can't surf without one of those."

Broseph loudly sighed.

"Oh, ocean. Why did I forsake you?"

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The next day...

The umbrellas were out as the cast walked the roughly quarter-mile distance from the Olympic Village to the Aquatics Centre. Unlike the first two days, this day started with the rain already falling. Luckily, today was the first indoor challenge of the competition. But that did not mean that they were going to stay dry...

The group made their way into the main pool area, where Allen was waiting for them, along with...

"Wipeout!" Fin exclaimed. "Here early again?"

"Nobody likes a brown noser," pointed out Kelly.

Wipeout raised his fins up to the sides of his head, faking a gasp of shock from his teammate's statement. He then waddled over to join his team.

"Morning, all! Welcome to the London Aquatics Centre! During this year's Olympics, the pools behind me will be used to stage all of the swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming events! Guess which one we're going to do today?"

Duncan preemptively raised a closed fist and shook it threateningly towards the host.

"You better not say synchronized swimming, or else!"

"But Duncan," argued Harold, "synchronized swimming is art of the purest form! Swimmers perform in perfect synch in order to show off the beauty of water in motion!"

"But it's also one of the few current Summer Olympic events that only women are allowed to compete in," added Izzy.

"I'm impressed," gasped Jen. "Where did you learn that from?"

"Oh, easy! I'm a competitive synchronized swimmer, heh heh! I tried out and stuff for the national team, and they said I was good enough to make it! If only I didn't have that knack for 'accidentally' kicking that other girl a dozen times or so."

She then turned towards the camera and added...

"Sorry I cost you a spot on the team, Marie-Annie! **BUT GLAD TO HEAR YOU'RE WALKING ON THAT LEG FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NINE MONTHS!**"

Fin, Kelly, and Jen, the three girls closest to Izzy, quickly took three steps away from Izzy, depending on which side of her they were on.

"O-kay," Allen said slowly, also a bit frightened after hearing that. "Speaking of quote-unquote accidental injuries, before we begin, I'm sure you all want an update on Cody's condition after what happened at the BMX track yesterday."

Everyone listened attentively.

"The good news is, despite being knocked unconscious from the crash for several minutes, none of his injuries were life-threatening..."

A few sighs of relief were heard amongst the group.

"The bad news is that Cody has a broken left femur. He also has been diagnosed with symptoms of a mild concussion. Safe to say, because of these, Cody will be unable to continue to participate and thus must withdraw from the competition."

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Meh. So he fractured his leg. I've seen people half the man he is keep competing with greater injuries. What a wuss!"_

Allen turned to the Maple Team.

"Now, because of Cody's withdrawal, Maple Team, you are now down one person. That bites, especially since today's challenge requires all four team members to participate in a relay race. Luckily, we've brought in a replacement player."

He turned to his right to facing the diving pool, and called out...

"You can come out now!"

Nikki smiled in anticipation. She knew who was coming out.

"Welcome back to the game, Jo-"

Nikki ran in that direction to greet him...

"-hnny!"

Nikki skidded to a stop halfway over upon seeing Johnny appear instead of Jonesy, her boyfriend.

"What? **YOU! WHY YOU?**"

Johnny, in an involuntary reflex, raised his hands to protect his face, especially since Nikki had clenched her fist and was planning to use it to sock him. But she stopped before even making a forward motion towards him.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Ha ha ha! She thought Jonesy was coming out? Like, what a maroon!"_

Allen arrived next to Nikki and he pulled her arm down.

"We could have brought back Jonesy, but to be fair, Johnny is a lot closer to the athletic ability of Cody than Jonesy is. We're taking pity on the Maple Team, but within reason, so to speak."

"Thanks," Johnny said, dropping his arms. "I... think?"

They walked back over to the others, where Nikki rejoined her team and Johnny was welcomed by his team of Ty, Heather, and Chrissy.

"Now that we again have seven full teams," Allen stated, "let's move on to actually talking about today's challenge. Which, if you haven't guessed by now, involves swimming. Your third Summer Olympic discipline to master is... the 4-by-100 meter swimming medley!"

He turned their attention to the larger swimming pool, which was already roped off into lanes.

"One at a time, each member will swim 100 meters. That's one trip to the far end of the pool and back. But, seeing as this is a medley, each swimmer will be required to use a different type of swimming stroke. In order, the strokes you'll be using are the same as those in all international competitions. The backstroke, the breaststroke..."

"Breaststroke," said Reef with a grin. "Such a funny word..."

"...the butterfly, and freestyle - which is basically allows the use of any type of stroke other than the aforementioned three. Since there are seven teams, this challenge will be short and sweet. One race. The last team to finish must compete in the EC. Their opponent will be chosen by the team that wins the event. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"We've got swimsuits in your team colors prepped for you in the change rooms. Go suit up, and I'll see you when you get back."

* * *

The seven teams came back out dressed in their bathing suits. The guys were wearing swimming shorts while the girls were all in one-piece swimwear. All of the suits were skin-tight, so some stood out more than others. Lindsay especially, who was getting stares from guys and girls equally.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"I admit. I'm jealous. Just... look at her!"_

Reef and Johnny high-fived after giving Lindsay an eyeful. Fin shook head in disgust before letting out a little chuckle of her own as she went over to talk to the buxom blonde.

"You're telling me you can swim? With **THOSE**?"

"What? You saw me swim in the Keys!"

"She means," Izzy cut in, "that those are some **DAMN TORPEDOES** you got there! Izzy thinks your popularity just went up by a factor of two!"

Lindsay gasped. "O-M-G! I didn't know swimming involved math!"

Heather scowled upon seeing Lindsay grinning and being an attention hog without even trying. She then felt Kelly gently elbow her in the ribs.

"Jelly?"

Heather turned towards her. "Of Lindsay? As if!"

Not wanting to be undone in the 'look at me because I have a sexy swimsuit body' department, Justin pulled out a bucket of water out of nowhere and dumped it over his head. At first, it worked, as several girls - including Chrissy, Caitlin, and Lo - were mesmerized as they watched the water cling to and run down parts of his well-toned body.

Their fantasies were quickly dashed when Justin started screaming in agony. The girls' eyes shot up to his - or, rather, the hands that were trying to cover them - and they saw that they were bloodshot red. That was because Justin had gotten his water from the chlorine-filled pool.

A big mistake.

"My eyes! **MY GORGEOUS EYES!**"

Duncan started snickering, but stopped when he found himself on the wrong end of a glare from Bridgette.

"If we've had our fill of 'Indoor Baywatch Wannabes,'" Allen cut in, "we've got a schedule to keep! Those of you starting the race with the backstroke, get in the pool! Everyone else, stand by your podiums. And, for the love of maple syrup, someone get Justin some eye drops!"

* * *

[Lane Assignments:  
1-RED 2-SILVER 3-VIOLET 4-MAPLE 5-BRONZE 6-WHITE 7-GOLD 8-Open]

Those swimming the backstroke leg were in the water. They got into position under the starting podium, with the hands gripping the side of the pool and their feet pressed against the wall underwater.

Allen announced the names of the opening leg participants.

"So, starting us off, we've got Caitlin in Lane 1, then Izzy, Darth, returnee Johnny in the prime fourth lane, Nikki, Justin, and Wipeout!"

Duncan leaned over to chat with Ripper.

"Bet you five dollars the whale sinks instead of floats!"

"Throw in winner-buys-dinner, and you've got a deal."

The two shook hands, locking in their side bet. Duncan should have been pleased with himself, but he was instead greeted by another glare from Bridgette.

"What? It's a safe bet. Why do you care?"

Bridgette did nothing but continue to glare at him. Duncan leaned back to ask Jen, who was swimming the anchor leg for their team.

"Did I... do something to her?"

Jen shrugged. Before Duncan could ask Bridgette himself, they heard the blowing of a whistle. They turned their attention to Allen, who had a starting pistol in hand and was staring their way.

"**HEY!** Quiet for the start, comprende?"

They complied.

"Okay, swimmers! On your mark! Seeeeeeet!"

He then pulled the trigger to set off the pistol, and the race had begun!

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The starting pistol had just gone off, and the seven swimmers pushed away from the wall and began the backstroke portion of the medley. At first it was a slow start, as it seemed nobody in the pool knew what they were doing. Suddenly, Izzy of the Silver Team popped up in the lead and she started finding a rhythm. She even started spitting chlorinated water straight up out of her mouth as if she was a whale.

Speaking of whales, Wipeout was seen comfortably floating and not sinking - much to Duncan's chagrin - and flippering his way into second. Justin, swimming in the lane immediately to Wipeout's right, was doing his best to keep pace, but it was tough staying straight since the mascot was making small waves with every stroke. The other swimmers were visibly struggling... particularly Nikki and especially Darth, who could barely keep his head above water.

_Confessional Cam - Darth_

_"I was verily dreading the swimming events because of my asthma! Especially if I had to do the backstroke! Oh... I truly hope the Force is with me... if only just to survive!"_

Darth was being monitored by at least two officials, one of which was lifeguard-trained, just in case. Meanwhile, Izzy had opened up almost a ten-meter lead, to the delight of her team, as she was the first to touch the wall at the end of the pool and begin the trip back. Tyler was seen getting atop the platform, ready to take on the breaststroke leg.

Justin and Wipeout reach the end of the pool at about the same time. But the latter struggled mightily to turn around, allowing Justin to take second place alone - and to begin focusing on catching Izzy. Justin started showing using his muscles for all their worth. Given he was on the other side of the pool opposite Izzy, he could not tell where he was in relation to her - but the gap between the two was closing fast. With 25 meters to go, Izzy's form had fallen off greatly due to exhaustion. Justin also passed her at that exact moment as well.

The well-toned guy swam it in from there, tagging the wall with a split of 58.56. Jen dove in, hoping to build on her teammate's lead. Izzy finally finished 6.5 seconds later, meaning Tyler had a lot of ground to make up. Wipeout came in two seconds after Izzy, and that allowed Kelly to start her leg.

With the race already reduced to three contenders, Tyler knew it was go time. He swam with all of his might. If he could not catch up to Jen in his leg, he was going to at least try to cut the deficit as much as he possibly could. Jen reached the end of the pool first, as expected, but despite her going all out, Tyler's halfway split was still two seconds quicker.

As this was all going on, the four slower teams were now just fighting to avoid last place. But by this point, only two teams were still on the backstroke leg.

"You can't swim those chicken arms faster than that?" screeched Lo. "**HURRY UP!**"

"C'mon, Darth," shouted Lindsay, from atop the platform. "You can do it! I know you can!"

Meanwhile, Ripper was shouting at Nikki to hurry up.

"Let's go, shiela! Almost there!"

Finally, Nikki glided in to the wall, allowing Ripper to jump in to try and at least keep his team out of the EC. Emma squatted down to give Nikki a pat on the back for effort. Nikki wanted out of the water, but had to wait because Jen was about ten meters away and closing. Bridgette, on the podium, had a serious look on her face as she quickly stared down Harold, on deck in Lane 2. Tyler had nearly erased the deficit and was now just a few strokes behind.

Jen still tagged the wall first, allowing Bridgette to start the butterfly leg. Tyler clocked in with a 1:02.34 split, good enough to whittle the White Team's lead to just under a second as Harold got in. As Bridgette and Harold headed out on the butterfly leg, Darth finally finished his leg, allowing Lindsay to start the breaststroke.

"Looks like we know who's finishing last," smirked Fin as she looked over at Lo.

A lot of people were expecting Bridgette to open the gap back up, but Harold was surprising everyone by keeping pace with her. In fact, it was looking like he was closing it. No one was sure until the split at halfway, when several people glanced up at the scoreboard and saw that the gap was now just 52 hundredths of a second. Both anchors - Duncan for the White Team and Fin for the Silver Team - were yelling at their teammates to pick up the pace. On the way back, Harold passed by Trent, who was alone in third place for his team at the moment.

It would come down to the final leg to determine a winner. Harold had edged ahead of Bridgette with 15 meters to go, but neither was giving up. Both swimmers reached for the wall. Harold manages to tag it just before Bridgette, but above them, Fin and Duncan seemed to have jumped into the water at the same time.

As the anchor leg for the top two teams began, Bridgette made her way out of the pool with a look of indifference on her face. If she was not happy with her performance, it was not going to be helped by the fact that the official in their lane was holding up a red flag. And Jen was already next to him, trying to find out what was up.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"In a relay race, the last thing you want to see is an official with a red flag. In track, it means a baton pass outside of the exchange zone. But in swimming, it means..."_

"A false start? No way! But... how?"

As Jen tried to plead her case, the race continued on with Duncan unaware of what was going on. Instead, he was focused on outswimming Fin. And despite the latter's swimming skills, that turned out to not be a problem. Fin does her best, but she was no match for Duncan, who completed the freestyle leg three seconds faster, which was the final margin of victory. If it held up...

While this was happening, Reef had just jumped in the pool to begin the freestyle leg. His team, at the time, was in sixth. But given he was an entire length of the pool ahead of the last-place team, he was not worried.

And that was where he would finish the race... in sixth. The last swimmer in was Wyatt for the Violet Team, well more than a minute and a half behind the victors.

* * *

Once everyone had dried off and the results had been verified, Allen came to a verdict on the White Team's possible violation.

"Videotape evidence clearly shows that Duncan's feet had left the platform before Bridgette's hand had touched the wall. Therefore, it is a false start and, hence, the White Team has been disqualified."

"**WHAT?**" the entire White Team shouted.

"That's bunk, dude!" argued Duncan. "I know I didn't leave early!"

"The tape doesn't lie," Allen told him. "As a result, your team's time is thrown out... which means the winner of today's event is... the Silver Team!"

The Silver Team started to dance in celebration.

"As the winners, each of you receive a $250 gift card courtesy of Visa, which you all can enjoy after the competition! Now, White Team... because you are credited with a DQ, that means that you are today's last-place team. That means... into the EC with you!"

An audible gasp, followed by tandem glares by Jen and Bridgette at Duncan.

"Silver Team," Allen continued, "you've got a minute to choose which team will face off with the White Team for the right to stay in the game."

That declaration quickly scared the other five teams, who knew they were looking at a really good chance of going home if they had to swim for their lives against the White Team.

That was, if they did not tear each other apart first...

"I can't believe you, Duncan!" shouted Bridgette, speaking for the first time on camera. "What were you thinking? We should be already thinking ahead to the next event! Instead, because of you, now we're fighting for our lives!"

"Pfft. So it's my fault 'cause I jumped? I wouldn't have jumped if you hadn't been sandbagging on your leg!"

"Sandbagging? **SANDBAGGING?**"

Bridgette lunged at her teammate, unhappy at the accusation and ready to make him pay for even suggesting she was not giving it her all. But Jen stepped in, grabbing Bridgette by the arms and holding her back.

"I swear, Duncan, I will **NEVER** forgive you if we go home because of you!"

"Oh, blow it out your dolphin hole!"

"**WHAT?**"

Bridgette tried to break free of Jen's grip, but that was not going to happen, especially with Justin coming over to help. They pulled her away, trying to calm her down.

_Confessional Cam - Kelly_

_"Wow. Blondie's lost it. And that could spell the end of her and her pesky team of athletic Goliaths. And I didn't even have to do anything this time."_

Distracted by Bridgette's outrage, the Silver Team had not even begun discussing whom to pit against the White Team. And...

"Time's up," Allen told them. "Need a team. Now."

The four looked at each other and, without even speaking to each other, just decided to say at the same time the team they wanted out.

"Violet."

"Violet."

"Maple."

"Violet."

Three of them had picked the Violet Team. The one who had not? Tyler.

"But... my Lindsay-boo! And, Harold, how could you?"

"I was her partner in Vancouver. In London, it's you. Sorry, bro."

Tyler was sad, but there was nothing he could do.

"It's settled," Allen said. "White versus Violet in an abbreviated medley relay. First team to finish stays in the game and the other team goes home. Let's do this!"

* * *

The two competing teams were set up in Lanes 4 and 5. The Violet Team has had the guys switch places, meaning Wyatt would start and Darth was the anchor leg. Meanwhile, the White Team...

"Duncan, you're on backstroke," Bridgette ordered. "And don't jump the gun!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Sheesh..."

"Justin, you're moving to butterfly."

"But you know I can't do..."

Bridgette glared at him.

"Fine. I'm not gonna fight with you."

"Jen stays on breaststroke, and I'm now swimming anchor. We're **NOT** losing this, people! Or else!"

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I think she's been hanging around Courtney too long. Some of her C.I.T.-ness is rubbing off on Bridge."_

Duncan and Wyatt were in the water, in position, and awaiting the start. In this EC, each of the legs were only 50 meters - one length of the pool instead of two - so the even-numbered legs started at the far end of the pool.

Allen raised the starting pistol in the air, and...

**BANG!**

The two were away cleanly. Cheering could be heard from the other teams, who were all sitting in the stands to the swimmers' right. Duncan again showed how good of a swimmer he was as he opened up a lead on Wyatt, who was having trouble keeping a good form. Duncan swam the opening leg in 28 seconds, and Jen jumped in, again hoping to extend the lead. When Wyatt finally tagged the wall, he had left Lindsay with six huge seconds to make up.

The crowd had seemingly begun the challenge cheering for the underdogs, but it looked as if an upset was not in the making. Lindsay was doing everything she could to catch Jen, but at best, she was just merely keeping pace. When Lindsay tagged the wall, she had swam a faster leg than Jen. But it was a mere two-tenths of a second faster. In a close race, that would have been huge.

But not in this case, as Lo was now tasked on making up six seconds on Justin's head start. But she was no match for him.

All that was left was the anchor leg. Bridgette took one look over at Darth and smirked.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye."

Bridgette made absolutely sure Justin tagged the wall beneath her before jumping into the water. With Lo still having 15 meters to go before finishing her leg, this race was pretty much over. But Bridgette wanted to make a statement.

She swam all out, and clocked in with a 26.74 anchor leg split. She then shouted...

"**THAT'S** how you swim a freestyle leg!"

The boast was obviously directed at Duncan, who did not seem to care either way as he walked back over from the other side of the pool.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"So what if we get to stay here at least another day? Miss Pissy Glare Pants thinks I'm trying to throw challenges? Who does she think I am, Courtney?"_

* * *

"Congratulations, White Team!" Allen exclaimed. "It was a bit rough there, but you're still in the competition! You may now rejoin the other teams."

They did so, leaving the Violet Team standing next to Allen.

"Well, Violet Team, this time it's for real. Your European excursion has come to an end. Time for you to go."

Lindsay knew what she was going to do. She ran over to Tyler and gave him one last, but long, farewell smooch. Wyatt went over to hug his friends, while Darth sufficed with a simple wave goodbye.

As for Lo...

"Win one for me, babe!" she said, hugging Broseph.

"Um... okay?"

She started walking away, but blew Broseph a kiss before heading out of the Aquatics Centre with the rest of her team. Once they were gone, Allen turned to face the six remaining teams.

"White Team. On paper, you are the best by far. But you still were this close to going home today. In this competition, it takes just one slip-up to lose a gold medal. Everyone's now on notice... bring it, or you're on the next flight home. Simple as that.

"Tomorrow's the first rest day of the competition. Relax, get your affairs in orders, and I'll see you at the next challenge."

With that, the six teams headed for the exit, safe for at least another two days.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"It's Buckingham Palace!" Chrissy squealed. "**EEEEEEE!**"

_(We've got sightseeing...)_

"Like anybody's gonna miss **ONE** jewel," Reef said aloud.

Fin, Ty, Kelly, and Emma growled at Reef as all five of them sat in a jail cell.

"How was I supposed to know they still have prisons here?"

_(A mystery to solve...)_

"I don't like it when my trust is broken," growled Eva.

Wipeout turned the corner and walked right into a half-asleep Caitlin.

"Wha?" she groaned.

_(And some anger to let out...)_

Heather screamed as Bridgette wrapped her arms around her midsection and took her down to the mat.

"Where is he?" Tyler asked. "Tell him to come out and wrestle like a **MAN**!"

_(On the next all-new 'Fresh from Europe,' next Tuesday night!)_

_Confessional Cam - Emma_

_"I can't let down the team! Can... I?"_


	4. Takedowns and Throwdowns

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So, apologies for the unexpected break last week and the lateness of this being posted tonight. I went on vacation and unfortunately did not get any time to write before leaving or during the long trip. To make up for the missed week, there will be two new episodes next week. That being said, back to the competition...

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"Cody and I are good friends, so seeing him getting hurt is devastating. I really, really hope, he's okay."_

"The bad news is that Cody has a broken left femur. Safe to say, Cody must withdraw from the competition."

Nikki skidded to a stop halfway over upon seeing Johnny appear instead of Jonesy, her boyfriend.

"**THAT'S** how you swim a freestyle leg!"

"Well, Violet Team, this time it's for real. Your European excursion has come to an end. Time for you to go."

Lo blew Broseph a kiss before heading out of the Aquatics Centre with Darth, Wyatt, and Lindsay.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Four - Takedowns and Throwdowns (06.05.12)**  
**-**

It was morning, and Reef burst out of his apartment shouting at the top of his lungs...

"**WOO HOO! DAY OFF, BABY!**"

Reef was about to run off when suddenly he was grabbed from behind. He stopped and saw Fin standing there.

"Hey, where do you think you're running off to?"

"Off to find me some British betties!"

Fin stared angrily at him.

"Uh, I meant, going sightseeing with you guys."

"That's better," Fin said, now smiling at him.

Kelly and Emma were side by side as they walked up to the couple, but neither seemed pleased with the other's presence.

"Great," grumbled Reef. "It's gonna be a chick fest! Please tell me at least Johnny's coming."

"Kinda busy," Emma noted. "But Ty's coming! Aah... Ty."

"I guess Ty's okay, but what about Broseph?"

He then suddenly remembered.

"Oh. Right."

* * *

Broseph was lying in bed, his head facedown in a pillow. Taped to a nearby wall was a piece of paper with a picture of him, a surfboard, and the ocean.

* * *

"I'm bummed there's no waves here too," Fin admitted, "but c'mon! We should drag his butt outta bed and get him some rays."

"Let him sulk," Kelly stated aloud. "One less grom on this trip. Although I wish we were two less."

That comment was directed at Emma, and she was not going to let it slide without her say.

"If you don't want to come with us, then why are you here?"

"Something wrong?"

Emma gasped before turning around and seeing Ty standing there. She quickly tried to explain herself.

"Uh, nothing! Kelly and I were girl talk! Yes, girl talk!"

"Um. Okay."

With that, Ty headed for the stairs, and subsequently, out of the building. The rest of the group followed.

_Confessional Cam - Emma_

_"I know Ty knows that Kelly and I have bad history together, but if I keep trying to get on Kelly's case he'll think I'm just as bad as she is. And then Ty and I will never be! I can't let that happen! I won't let that happen!"_

Ty pushed the stair door leading to the ground floor open. He was followed by Reef, Fin, Kelly, and Emma. Each extended a hand out to keep the door open for the person behind them. Except for Kelly, who nonchalantly kicked the door inwards with her hind leg, enough that it would hit Emma in the nose.

"Ow!"

Emma pushed the door open and looked at Kelly, rubbing the aching bridge of her nose as she stared at her. Luckily for Kelly, no one had seen it. Especially Ty, who had stopped to converse with another group of would-be sightseers made up of Justin, Chrissy, Nikki, Caitlin, Harold, and Jude.

"Where you guys off to?" Ty asked.

"Buckingham Palace," answered Harold. "Maybe we'll meet the Queen and get knighted!"

"Ha!" laughed Reef. "You? Yeah, right!"

Kelly turned her attention away from the pleasure of seeing Emma in pain and instead enjoyed an unblocked view of Justin.

_Confessional Cam - Kelly_

_"Okay, I have to admit... Justin is **HAWT**! I don't even know why I liked Ty in the first place. Oh, wait, now I do... but who cares? Justin is ten times hotter than Ty! Of course, I can't tell anyone I like him. Based on what I've learned from Heather, showing romantic interest in another competitor is a sign of weakness! So, I'm not gonna be a sheep. Just gonna feign interest. At least until I secure my position in the game a bit more."_

Despite her strategy, though, something about seeing Chrissy and Caitlin attached to Justin at the arms made her seethe anger. But thankfully for her, she would not stick around long enough to do something about it, as she noticed her group was heading out the exit. Kelly followed them, and was greeted with a door in the face. She squealed in pain before pushing it open and rejoining her group. It did not take long for her to get alongside Emma.

"Very funny," Kelly grumbled upon seeing Emma smirking.

* * *

But not everyone was off to go sightseeing. Eva and Trent were in Wipeout's bedroom, seemingly searching for something.

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"I'm not one for picking through other people's stuff, but... it's odd that Wipeout is never around when we want to have a team meeting. At first, I thought he was sneaking away to meet with a girl. But the dude doesn't talk! Or take off his costume! Ever!"_

"There has to be a clue somewhere!" said Eva. "I expect loyalty from the members of my team. Not being around for team meetings... that whale has some explaining to do when I find out what he's up to. And by explaining I mean talking to my fists!"

"It doesn't make any sense," Trent said aloud. "What does he have to hide from us?"

Eva stared at him.

"I meant besides his true identity."

Suddenly, Trent found something hidden in one of Wipeout's pillowcases. It was a brochure filled with girls in leotards jumping on trampolines.

"Whoa," gasped Trent. "Where'd he get this from?"

Eva snatched the brochure from him and ripped into many pieces with her own bare hands.

"I don't like it when my trust is broken," growled Eva. "Nobody on this team does anything unless I know about it! The whale will pay."

* * *

Meanwhile, the party of five 'Stoked' members had arrived at their first stop: The Tower of London. At this particular moment, they had come upon the Crown Jewels themselves.

"Whoa!" Fin gasped. "Lo would be so into this... if she were here."

"Could you imagine wearing those?" asked Kelly. "They'd look so good on me!"

"Good luck," Emma interjected, pointing to the half-dozen guards in that room alone, including two on either side of the case.

The girls walked away from the display. On the other side of the room was a smaller open case with random jewels. One of which had caught Reef's eye.

"Like anybody's gonna miss **ONE** jewel," Reef said aloud.

He grabbed it, put it in his pocket, turned around, and walked right into two guards blocking his path.

"'ello, 'ello!" one of the guards said. "We don't take too kindly to jewel thieves."

"Thief?" Reef questioned. "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm a celebrity! I know my rights, and what I'm entitled to."

The other guard reached into Reef's pocket and pulled out the jewel the bald-headed boy had tried to sneak out with.

"Oh, come on! Don't get your knickers in your bunch! It's not like I was gonna steal the crown or something!"

"He's stealin' the crown!" the first guard exclaimed, mishearing Reef.

Before he knew it, two of the other guards blocked the exits, while the other two assisted in detaining Reef. But he would not be the only one in trouble...

* * *

Fin, Ty, Kelly, and Emma growled at Reef as all five of them sat in a jail cell.

"How was I supposed to know they still have prisons here?"

"You **HAD** to cause a scene, didn't you?" Fin shouted. "What part of 'look, don't touch' don't you understand, blockhead!"

"Oh," groaned Emma. "My folks are gonna see this and ground me 'til I'm 30!"

"Don't worry," Ty said aloud. "The producers will get us out of this."

Kelly glared at Reef. "If you don't get kicked off the show for this stunt, I'm so pulling a Courtney."

The producers would bail them out a couple hours later, but not before they gave Reef a stern talking to and he got a few slaps in the back of the head courtesy of Fin, Kelly, and Fin again.

* * *

At around 11 pm that night, Wipeout quietly snuck back into the apartment and into his bedroom. He slipped into bed and laid there for what seemed like seconds but was actually a few hours. At exactly 4:30 am, he got back out of bed and exited the apartment again. Upon tiptoeing in the hall, though, Wipeout turned the corner and walked right into a half-asleep Caitlin. Panicking, he bolted for the stairs.

"Wha? Who's there?"

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands in order to coax them to open, but by the time she did, whomever she had run into was gone. Or so she thought, as she suddenly was grabbed and pinned to the wall.

"Gotcha!"

Caitlin screamed. "**EEEEKKKK!**"

The would-be attacker quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth. She stopped screaming at that exact moment. Not because she was being muffled, but because she recognized the fingers touching her mouth. And her attacker relaxed as well when he saw whom he had caught.

"Caitlin? Oh, God, sorry, sorry!"

He lowered his hand and Caitlin instantly identified him.

"Trent?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Well, if you're trying to impress a girl that way, you're asking to get kneed in the kiwis."

"It's not like tha-"

Before he could explain himself, Trent was pushed aside by Eva, who had procured a flashlight somehow. And she was shining it directly in Caitlin's face.

"You're not the whale! Where is he? And why are you here on the boys' floor?"

"I don't know!" cried Caitlin. "One minute I was in bed, the next, I ran into someone, then Trent pinned me to the wall, and now you-"

"The whale. You better tell me which way he went!"

"I don't know! He was gone before I could see him!"

"Drat! We must've just missed him."

Eva instinctively headed for the stairs, hoping her prey was still in the building. Trent looked at Caitlin for a few seconds, half wanting to explain what was going on now and half wanting to spend some time rekindling the spark they thought they once had for each other.

"**TRENT!**"

Hearing Eva's shrill voice, Trent snapped out of it and ran for the stairs, leaving Caitlin without saying another word. As for the blonde girl herself, she too was left confused about that brief alone moment with Trent. She sighed aloud.

"Whoa. Is he... still into me?"

Caitlin did not know, but she hoped Trent would still be in the competition long enough for her to find out.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The next day...

The cast got on a bus and made a short trip to a building known as the ExCeL, located near the London City Airport. Once again upon entering the building, they were greeted by both Allen and Wipeout. Immediately, Eva and Kelly confronted the latter.

"Alright, whale," Kelly threatened. "Spill it!"

"Yeah!" Eva did likewise. "Or we spill your guts."

"All will be revealed in due time, ladies," Allen said, stepping in to save Wipeout's tail. "But we've got a challenge to get to."

Allen pushed Wipeout away, towards his third and less-confrontational teammate, Trent. The girls reluctantly dropped the subject, but the whale only had to take a look around at the other teams to see that it was not only his partners that were suspicious.

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"There's nothing more suspicious than someone that won't talk. That whale is hiding something, and gosh, I'm going to find out what!"_

"By this point," Allen addressed the competitors, "you've got a good idea of whom you can trust and whom you want take aside and throw to the ground when no one's looking. Today's your chance to release some pent-up aggression, because your fourth Olympic event is freestyle wrestling!"

Eva, Izzy, Harold, and Duncan were all pleased to hear that. One person, though...

_Confessional Cam - Emma_

_"Wrestling? Wrestling? But, but... **WRESTLING?**"_

Emma was quivering in fear as Allen continued the explanations.

"Since all the events are of Olympic standard, there's no awkwardness of guys taking on gals on and vice-versa. Guys are wrestling guys, and gals are wrestling gals. For each gender, the 12 participants will be split into three groups of four for the preliminaries. In that round, you must wrestle everyone in your group once. At the end of the preliminaries, the three group winners and the second-place finisher with the best record and technical score will advance to the medal rounds. The remaining two second-place finishers and the top two third-place finishers will advance to the classification round. That is needed because, although all of you are wrestling on your own, this IS a team event. Points will be given out to the Top 8 places for each gender, in the form of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Team with the most points at the end of the event wins immunity. Team that finishes with the least points earns an automatic bid into the EC.

"As for today's prize, well, here's something for you who are more brains than brawn. Each member of the winning team today will receive a $500 scholarship for use in any college, university, or institution of higher learning, and that comes courtesy of The Dow Chemical Company."

A mix of cheers and jeers were heard, most of the latter coming from Duncan.

"Any questions?"

Emma raised her hand.

"If you're asking to skip this event, no can do! This ain't gym, lass... this is the Olympics!"

Emma lowered her arm and gulped in fear.

"Anyone else? Okay... we'll draw pools and get started."

* * *

Three mats were set up for simultaneous matches, and the competitors were split up into groups of four. The girls were up first...

"Round One... begin!"

On mat one, Jen had to tangle with a rambunctious Izzy. On mat three, Bridgette and Serena spent the first few seconds sizing each other up. But the attention was immediately on mat two, as Nikki charged head-on at Eva.

_Confessional Cam - Nikki_

_"My only chance to beat Eva is to take her out in one go. She's kinda slow, so it should be a piece of cake."_

The next thing Nikki knew, she was down on the mat, being pinned by Eva. The referee three-counted her, and that was it. The match was over. Eva got off of Nikki, then turned to the other two girls in her group - Fin and Chrissy - and pointed at them.

"Who's next?"

Chrissy quickly grabbed Fin by the shoulders and pushed her in front.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Like, really? In the same group as Muscle Woman? It's, like, people want me to lose."_

Before Fin or Chrissy had to take on Eva, though, they had to wrestle each other first. They stepped in, passing by Nikki, who had gotten up holding a hand to her head and wondering if she had been hit by a truck.

Later in the first round of matches, Emma and Caitlin were seen tussling, and neither seemed very sure of what they were doing, as they could not do much more than grapple and growl menacingly at each other.

* * *

Moving on to the guys' first set of matches, the highlight had to be Tyler going up against Ripper. They were so evenly matched that it was hard for either of them to get the other into a vulnerable position as they exchanged holds and pulls back and forth.

"Give it up, man!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Not on your life, mate!" Ripper shouted back.

Ripper then let one rip, literally. Tyler had to take a step back to get some clean air.

"That's foul!"

Ripper tried to take advantage by going for a takedown, but Tyler got back on defense and prevented it from happening. But at least this match was taking awhile to resolve...

Two matches ended almost as quickly as they began, as Wipeout claimed victory by just falling forward onto Ty and pinning him, while Duncan took down a clearly disinterested Broseph in mere seconds.

* * *

Other highlights of the preliminary round matches included:

Eva was shown steamrolling her group as she quickly dispatched of Fin in their match, and then won by forfeit when Chrissy refused to even step onto the mat.

Heather screamed as Bridgette wrapped her arms around her midsection and took her down to the mat, a bit surprised at being overpowered by the blonde.

Duncan was disqualified and credited with a defeat after performing an illegal move too much in his match against Ripper.

Justin found a way around Wipeout's 'fall and win' strategy by managing to sweet talk the mascot into moving first. Big mistake. Justin pinned Wipeout after the whale could not get back to his feet after falling on his face.

* * *

Once the preliminary round had been completed, it was time to announce who was moving on to the semifinals.

"Okay... so there was some good wrestling. And... something akin to a game of patty cake between Emma and Caitlin..."

The two girls blushed in embarrassment.

"The four girls moving on to the medal round are Eva, Izzy, Bridgette, and Jen. The four boys moving on are Trent, Justin, Ripper, and Wipeout. Congratulations, guys and gals... take a short break, then prepare for your semifinal matches!"

Eva, Trent, and Wipeout were seen convening afterwards, as three of the four Gold Team members had made it into the medal round. But they were not the only joyous trio, as the White Team had Jen, Bridgette, and Justin still alive.

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"So this event basically is gonna come down to us versus the White Team. Let's just hope we've got some favorable matches."_

"The semifinal matches will be," Allen read off, "Eva versus Jen, Izzy versus Bridgette, Trent versus Wipeout, and Justin versus Ripper."

Trent's jaw dropped in shock as he looked over at his teammate.

_Confessional Cam - Trent_

_"Well, ain't that a bad break."_

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"Before the semifinalists take to the mat," Allen narrated, "let's take a quick look at the classification matches, whose participants were decided upon based on results in the preliminary rounds."

In the seventh-place classification match, it was Fin against Serena for on the girls' side and teammates Tyler and Harold on the boys'.

"Fin and Serena were very evenly matched, but it was Fin coming out victorious in the end, thanks to takedown in the closing seconds of the match to give her the win by period victories, 2-1. The guys' seventh-place match, despite being between teammates, only lasted 47 seconds. Tyler gets Harold on a pinfall."

In the fifth-place classification match, Heather and Nikki were up for the girls, and Duncan and Reef for the guys.

"Heather won fifth place by defeating Nikki by way of technical superiority in two periods. Meanwhile, Duncan was disqualified for the second time in the challenge, once again for an illegal hold, giving the match to Reef a little over two minutes into the first period.

"With positions five through eight for both genders settled, the Bronze Team has 7 points, followed by Silver with 5, Maple 4, White 3, Red 1, and Gold 0. Four teams have at least one wrestler in the semifinals, but the Gold and White teams have three participants each left. Will one of those two teams come out with victory?"

* * *

Back to 'live' action, as the girls' semifinal matches were taking place simultaneously. Jen (White) was trying to take down the seemingly invincible Eva (Gold), while Izzy (Silver) attempted to keep Bridgette (White) off-balance.

"Stop... jumping... around..." gasped Bridgette as Izzy dodged each of her attempts to lunge at her.

"Ha ha! You not gonna get Izzy that way!"

Jen tried her best to get Eva down to the ground, but she was just too strong. Soon after, Izzy was seen just being too slick for Bridgette. The two White Team gals were seen convening after their losses.

"You think Izzy can beat Eva?" Jen asked.

"For our sakes, she better," replied Bridgette.

On to the boys' semifinals. Teammates Trent and Wipeout of the Gold Team were up against one another on one mat, while Justin (White) was taking on Ripper (Bronze) on the other.

"Let's go all out," Justin told Ripper. "Just don't hit the face, chest, stomach, arms, hands, legs, or feet, okay?"

Ripper looked at him oddly. "Seriously, mate? Fine..."

He said that as he had his fingers crossed behind his back. A few minutes later, Justin was seen screaming in anguish as Ripper pushed him hard into the mat. Meanwhile...

"Come on, man," Trent said as he pulled on Wipeout's fin. "Go down!"

Wipeout, who was wrestling instead of just falling on his opponent, was proving to be one tough mascot to take down. In the end, though, Wipeout would win out over his teammate.

* * *

The losers of the semifinal round were matched up against each other for the third-place classification bouts. On the girls' side, it was Jen versus Bridgette...

"Those bras are on the same team," Reef commented aloud to Johnny. "They're not gonna go all out."

The referee blew the whistle, and the two girls charged at each other, screaming loudly as they grabbed each other and tried to pull the other down to the ground.

"Just let me win!" groaned Jen.

"Oh, you'd like that!" shouted back Bridgette.

Jen pulled Bridgette off of her feet and down to the mat, and the two started rolling around, to the delight of the guys. Meanwhile, it was Trent against Justin for the third place for the boys. But...

Justin was seeing his teammates go at it, hard, and then remembered how hard Ripper wrestled him in his last match. So he continued to stand there, just a few feet away from the mat, refusing to step in, while Trent stood ready to go.

"Um, Justin? Let's go, man!"

"But... what if I get hurt?"

He pointed over at the girls, just in time to see Bridgette ram into Jen, leading with her head, and taking her down to the mat.

"There isn't enough body part insurance in the world to risk ruining any more of my glorious model physique."

With Justin not willing to step onto the mat, Trent was given the match and was awarded third place for the guys as well.

* * *

The two championship matches were ready to begin. Allen was ready to introduce the competitors as Bridgette and Jen - their hair a mess and they had some bruises here and there - limped back to their team, but not before each glaring at the unbruised Justin.

"First, to my left, the ladies' title match... Eva versus Izzy!"

Eva flexed her muscles, while Izzy did a headstand.

"And on my right, the men's title bout... Ripper versus Wipeout!"

Ripper's face grew serious as Wipeout waddled into the ring.

"And... **GO!**"

Izzy danced out of the way of a quick takedown attempt by Eva, while Ripper went right for Wipeout's leg and tried to pull him down.

"Dude," groaned Ripper, "you're not that big, mate! How are you so hard?"

Wipeout shrugged his shoulders. Meanwhile...

"Hi-ya!" exclaimed Izzy, jumping on Eva and wrapping her legs around her. "Yeah, Izzy's ridin' front-saddle!"

"Get off!" shouted Eva. "**OFF!**"

Eva tried to push Izzy from her, while Ripper continued to tug at Wipeout's leg. Figured that he had waited long enough, Wipeout sat down... right onto Ripper. Ripper was unable to free himself, and the referee counted him out. Wipeout got up and started doing his patented victory dance - which included flopping like a fish.

As for the girls' championship...

"Is that the best you can do?" Izzy taunted as she dodged a grab attempt. "Izzy's not impressed!"

Eva growled angrily. She reached in, grabbed a hold of Izzy by the arms, and flung her over her head. Izzy screamed as she went flying out of the ring, landing on an unsuspecting Johnny, who had his back turned away.

"You impressed **NOW**?" Eva shouted from the mat.

Izzy dizzily sat up and gave Eva two thumbs up before falling back over and off of Johnny.

* * *

Once everyone had recovered, to some degree, it was time to announce the results of the challenge. Eva and Wipeout had already been given gold medals off-screen for their individual victories, and Allen was ready to announce the overall team victory.

"Time to declare the winning team of the challenge. But it should be fairly obvious which foursome that is."

Since Eva and Wipeout were standing next to each other and with their teammates Trent and Kelly, Allen was telling the truth.

"Gold Team, congratulations! Finally living up to your team color, guys!"

Trent and Kelly were given gold medals to match the ones their teammates had already received.

_Confessional Cam - Kelly_

_"Okay, I give the whale props for being a great wrestler. But that doesn't mean I trust him any more than I did before."_

"As promised, Gold Team, for winning the challenge, you each will receive a $500 scholarship from The Dow Chemical Company, which you can use to further your academic pursuits. But that's in the far future. In the near future, it's time to pick a team to participate in the EC. Who will said team be competing against for survival? Well, let's find out. The team who scored the least number of points in this challenge is..."

The other five teams looked on with apprehension.

"The Red Team!"

All eyes turned to Broseph, Caitlin, Jude, and Serena.

"Serena was the only one of you to score points, and **A** point at that! Pick one guy and one girl to compete in the EC. As for our winners... Gold Team, you've got one minute to pick which of the remaining four teams will oppose them."

The Gold Team quickly convened to discuss the matter.

"Before anyone says anything," Kelly jumped in first, "I vote the Bronze Team. I've got a score to settle with those groms!"

"They are weak," thought Eva aloud. "It might be worth it."

"What about the White Team?" questioned Trent. "Duncan's kinda not playing by the rules anymore. He's gonna hurt someone."

Kelly was not happy with that suggestion. "No! **NOT** happening!"

"Then perhaps the Maple Team?"

Again, Kelly looked unwilling to vote that option.

"They have that witch Heather," commented Eva. "And that Chrissy girl's been getting on my nerves as of late."

"So..."

Wipeout looked like as if he was about to say something, but Eva broke out of the huddle and started heading towards Allen before the mascot could have his say.

"We're picking them!"

Eva was pointing at the Bronze Team. Ripper, Reef, and Nikki were all shocked and upset, while Emma was shaking in fear.

"It's settled then," Allen said aloud. "Bronze Team, pick one guy and one girl to compete in the EC. Choose wisely. The team that loses the EC is going home."

The four of them looked at each other, wondering what they were going to do...

* * *

...but apparently, the decision was not hard to make, as Reef and Emma prepared to step into the ring.

"Are you sure about this?" Nikki asked Ripper.

"Trust me, sheila," he said in response. "Emma's tougher than she looks. She just has to believe in herself."

Nikki looked at Emma, and noticed that she had stop shaking in fear. On the outside. But on the inside...

_Confessional Cam - Emma_

_"I can't let down the team! Can... I? No! I can do this!"_

Jude and Serena stepped forward for the Red Team. As the four combatants took their place on the wrestling mats, the four teams that were not taking part in the EC looked on with interest.

"Here's how this EC is going to work," Allen explained. "These final two matches will be scored as all the previous matches. If one team wins both matches, that team stays in the game. If the two matches are split, then we will go to tiebreakers to determine the surviving team. Understand?"

All of the participants nodded.

"Then let the Elimination Challenge begin!"

With that, the two bouts started simultaneously. Emma was up against Serena, while Reef was taking on Jude.

"Bring it, dude!" taunted Reef.

"I know we're alliance dudes and all," Jude told him, "but you're going down, bro!"

As the two boys went at it, Emma was trying to gather the courage and the strength to beat Serena. Even as she dodged every attempt of hers to grab her.

"This is wrestling, not dodgeball!" exclaimed Serena.

"I know, I know!" shouted Emma, still afraid to engage. "But..."

"You can do this!" encouragingly shouted Ripper.

Hearing Ripper cheer for her, Emma stopped and smiled. She realized that if he believed in her, then she should believe in herself as well.

Serena ruined the revelation, though, by getting behind Emma, wrapping her arms around her midsection, and tossing her down to the mat. Emma hit the mat, but quickly rolled out of the way before Serena could pin her. Serena made another lunge at her, and Emma dodged it. As well as the next, and the next, and the next...

"So much for Emma helping our cause," groaned Nikki.

"Well," Ripper said, looking on the bright side, "at least we still have Reef."

But Reef was having a harder time with Jude than expected, and it turned out that they were evenly matched. It was going to come down to the one who made the last scoring move.

"Looks like I'm going to have to go for broke!" Reef exclaimed.

Reef made one final charge to attempt to knock Jude off of his feet, but there was one problem. Jude saw it coming. He sidestepped the charge, then grabbed Reef's trailing arm and, with leaning into his opponent's back, he pushed him down onto one knee. Before Reef could get back up, the whistle blew to signal time had expired.

* * *

The two teams up for elimination stood on either side of Allen, while the other four teams were off to the side, awaiting the result.

"The officials have conferred," Allen said, "and it's unanimous. The team that has won the EC is... the Red Team!"

The Red Team celebrated, while the Bronze Team looked downtrodden.

"Red Team, you can rejoin the surviving teams."

They headed back over, leaving the losing team to have their final reactions.

"I'm sorry," Emma apologized to her team. "I just couldn't do it!"

Nikki sighed, but put a comforting arm around her teammate. "Look on the bright side... we made it further this time."

"And what's that get us?" asked Reef. "I was supposed to defend my title? I can't go around saying I'm 'Olympic Champion' anymore!"

Ripper stared at the Gold Team in disgust.

"Just like you guys to try and get rid of a powerful team! You better hope we don't get a chance at revenge!"

"Sounds like loser talk!" Kelly said, before turning around and giving Eva a high-five.

Wipeout turned around and shook his booty at Ripper. Ripper wanted to retaliate, but Allen blocked his way, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Van to the airport is that-a-way!"

Ripper scowled, but marched out after his teammates. Once they were gone, Allen addressed the remaining five teams.

"Another team gone. You guys still here are already one-third of the way to the final challenge. But the challenges will continue to get harder so there's no rest for the weary! Get some sleep, 'cause trust me, you'll need every bit of energy to make it through event number five! Adios, amigos!"

And with that, the five remaining teams exited the arena, happy to have extended their British vacation by at least one more day.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"Bra!" Jude said to Jen. "You gotta help me!"

_(How long can you keep a secret?)_

"I can't believe I got asked to be in an alliance! **YES!**"

Johnny suddenly realized that several people were staring at him.

"And I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Izzy poked Wipeout with her left index finger.

"Izzy's got you figured out, inflatable beach whale!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing that.

"Isn't he so dreamy?" Caitlin cooed as she stared at Justin.

"Hands off!" Chrissy snapped. "I've been wanting to get my hooks into him since Day One!"

_(Who really doesn't want to be here anymore?)_

"I can't live without my grindage, dude!" groaned Broseph.

"Why are you even here?" Trent asked.

"Why are **YOU** even here?" Duncan shot back, angrily.

"I'm sick and tired of you!" shouted Bridgette.

_(And who's gonna step up in two grueling challenges?)_

Wipeout was knocked upside the head by the errant soccer ball kick even though he was behind the midline. A few seconds later, he fell over and started writhing in agony.

"You take me out of this game and I swear..." growled Heather.

Many of those in the back of the pack struggled to jump over the first hurdle, and a number of them, including Caitlin, Harold, and Johnny, get over and land face-first in the water pit.

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"I've never come down like that before!"_

Tyler was heard crying in pain as he limped to the inside of the track and took a seat on the grass. He was favoring his left leg as a nearby official signaled for a paramedic.

_(See what happens on 'Fresh from Europe,' with two new episodes on a new night... next Monday!)_

_Confessional Cam - Heather_

_"Honestly, at this point if you need to be helped, you don't deserve to be here anymore. You are the weakest links. Goodbye!"_


	5. Whale in Goal

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So, apologies for the delay, but this episode was so hard to write! I think I finally got the kinks worked out, though, and I'm still delivering two episodes today, as promised! Here's the first!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

Broseph was lying in bed, his head facedown in a pillow. Taped to a nearby wall was a piece of paper with a picture of him, a surfboard, and the ocean.

"I'm bummed there's no waves here too," Fin admitted, "but c'mon!"

"Let him sulk," Kelly stated aloud. "One less grom on this trip. Although I wish we were two less."

"There has to be a clue somewhere!" said Eva. "I expect loyalty from the members of my team. Not being around for team meetings... that whale has some explaining to do when I find out what he's up to. And by explaining I mean talking to my fists!"

"Caitlin? Oh, God, sorry, sorry!"

He lowered his hand and Caitlin instantly identified him.

"Trent?"

Ripper stared at the Gold Team in disgust.

"Just like you guys to try and get rid of a powerful team!"

Allen blocked his way, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Van to the airport is that-a-way!"

Ripper scowled, but marched out after his teammates - Emma, Nikki, and Reef.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Five - Whale in Goal (06.15.12)**  
**-**

The cast had just returned to the Olympic Village; the most recent elimination was still fresh on their minds.

"Is it just me," asked Fin aloud, "or did Ripper take his team's elimination way too hard?"

"Meh," replied Kelly, shrugging her shoulders.

Ty added his two cents. "Ripper had his heart set on winning this. It stings, but he'll get over it."

"Yeah."

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"So pretty much everyone I can trust in this game just flew the coop. Gotta up my game now. If I can push my team to survive until the merge, then I'll be a good shape."_

* * *

That evening, Jude was pacing back and forth in the courtyard. Jen and Caitlin were also there, sitting on a bench. At first, he was telling them about Broseph's woes, but during the conversation, another topic had come up...

"...I just remembered that Jonesy, Reef, Broseph, and I had formed an alliance on the first night!" exclaimed Jude.

"Too bad the former two are gone and Broseph is completely out of it," stated Caitlin matter-of-factly.

"Aw, man! Even if my team makes it to the merge, I don't have anyone to ally with!"

"I'm on your team, Jude, remember? You picked me, after all."

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Heh heh."

"I'm not," Jen piped in.

"Bra!" Jude said to Jen. "You gotta help me!"

"If we make it to the individual events, I'm in. We are friends, after all."

Jude gasped. "That's awesome, bra!"

"First things first, though, Jude. We need to figure out if it's worth keeping Broseph in the alliance."

"I know, but, I don't know how to get through to the guy. All he talks about is surf this and surf that!"

As the three tried to think of what to do, Jen got an idea, thanks to someone showing up out of the blue.

"Hey!"

She waved at Johnny, who happened to be walking by at that moment.

"Me?" Johnny pointed at himself.

"You're one of Broseph's friends, right? Uh, Johnny?"

"Yeah."

"We need your help talking to Broseph. He's really out of it."

"We?"

Jude and Caitlin walked up, stopping on either side of Jen.

"Jude is in alliance with him," Jen explained, "but Broseph doesn't seem to be into this competition anymore. We need you to try and snap him out of it."

"We'll make it worth your while!" Caitlin added, fluttering her eyes.

Johnny's jaw nearly fell to the ground.

"You... you mean something like... a date?"

Caitlin was immediately taken aback. "What? Ew! No!"

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"What was she expecting me to think? She batted her eyes at me! Girls bat their eyes when they're into you!"_

"Um," Jude interrupted, "I think what Caitlin was wanting to offer was a spot in our alliance."

"Oh," Johnny said happily. "That's even better! I'll help you guys out!"

"Great!" shouted Jen. "One thing, though. We're making our alliance a secret one. You know, 'cause certain **OTHER** people will make a big deal out of it."

"No problem. My lips are sealed."

* * *

Johnny was about to open the door leading into Apartment 2A when the door to 2C opened. Johnny's teammates, Ty, Heather, and Chrissy, all stepped out.

"There you are!" exclaimed Heather. "6:30 meeting, remember?"

"I know, I know," Johnny said, "but I have to take care of something first."

Ty immediately got the hint. "Broseph?"

"Yeah. Broseph."

Ty walked towards Johnny, intending to help out.

"Hey!" shouted Heather once more. "Um, meeting? Now?"

"Like," piped in Chrissy, "some of us have plans for tonight."

But the boys ignored them, heading into 2A. They both rolled their eyes and reluctantly followed their teammates in.

"Broseph!" Johnny called out. "Where are you?"

A loud sigh came from the other side of the door to Broseph's room. Johnny and Ty went over, opened the door, and went in. Ty stopped once inside the room, but Johnny continued over to Broseph's bedside.

"Oh, man," groaned Ty as he fanned the air around him. "Uck."

Broseph's dirty clothes were scattered all over the room, and even after a just few days, they were beginning to smell bad. Something the girls would definitely make known upon stepping in and getting a whiff of the foul odor.

"Ack!" cried Chrissy, covering her nose. "What's that smell?"

"Did something die in here?" asked Heather as she made a sour face.

Johnny sat down on the bed and shook Broseph at the shoulder, trying to get him to sit up.

"Broseph, dude, get up!"

He shook him, but Broseph refused to move.

"Come on! I'm not leaving 'til you talk!"

"I can't stand it anymore!" exclaimed Chrissy.

She walked out of the room, on her way to the bathroom to puke. Johnny kept shaking Broseph until he finally flipped over so that he was face-up. He still refused to get up from the bed, though.

"I guess that's a start. Look, Broseph, you can't keep sulking like this. It's not healthy."

"It doesn't matter."

"We all miss catchin' waves," Ty said from across the room, "but you don't see me sulking."

"You don't get it, guy. You can live without surfing. I can't."

"What are you talking about?" asked Johnny. "You're still here, aren't you? Still competing in challenges, right?"

"Not here in spirit. Huge diff."

"He's a lost cause!" bellowed Heather. "Forget him! We've got a strategy meeting."

Broseph raised his right hand and grabbed Johnny's left elbow.

"Just go, guy! I just want to lie here."

Johnny sighed. He looked over at his teammates, then turned back around and leaned in closer to whisper to his friend.

"Look, Broseph. Your roommate, Jude, sought out Jen and Caitlin to help prop up your alliance. But they're not sure if you're still in, so they recruited me to find out if you still wanna be a part of it."

"They can do whatever. Take my place, guy. Jude's a cool bro."

"I guess I should. And it's a pretty strong alliance. An alliance that I'm going to be part of? Oh my God! I can't believe I got asked to be in an alliance! **YES!**"

Johnny suddenly realized that Ty and Heather were staring at him.

"And I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"An alliance?" questioned Heather. "With someone other than anyone on this team?"

"Yeah, with Jude, Jen, and Caitlin."

Johnny then covered his mouth, realizing he had blurted his new alliance mates out.

"Oh, crap! I'm really **NOT** good at keeping secrets."

Heather thought aloud. "Caitlin's nothing. But Jen's a powerhouse and, from what I recall from Vancouver, Jude's pretty capable too. That's it! Strategy meeting, now!"

"But..."

"**NOW!**"

With that, Heather stomped out of the room. Ty did not approve of Heather's tone of voice, but the news of Johnny allying with members of other teams worried him as well. Ty motioned for Johnny to follow before exiting the room.

"Man, Jude and the girls are **NOT** gonna be happy about this."

Johnny left, forgetting about Broseph's problem and starting to be concerned about his own.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

Today's challenge was starting a little later in the day then expected, but it was going to be worth the wait. For the second day in a row, the group was leaving the confines of the future Olympic Park, but again they were staying within the city. When their transportation started getting close to the location, the most observant people in the group started figuring out.

"I think I know where we're going," Serena said aloud. "Wembley Stadium!"

"You mean **THE** Wembley Stadium?" Jen asked. "As in, home stadium of England's national soccer team?"

"Yes," answered Harold, "but you do realize that it is called football on this side of the Atlantic. Did you know that the rules of modern-day football were created in the 1860s, though the origin of the sport has been rumored to date back as far as the 3rd Century B.C. in China?"

Duncan punched Harold in the upper left arm.

"**OW!**"

"Nobody cares, doofwad!"

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all walking into the stadium and onto the field - or pitch, as it was called here. Again, Allen and Wipeout were waiting for them at midfield.

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Heather, rhetorically.

Wipeout waddled over to his time, getting some uncomfortable stares from several people. Especially his teammates. And Izzy, for some weird reason.

"By now, you all know where you are today," Allen said to the group. "Wembley Stadium. Well, 'New' Wembley Stadium, to be exact. Which means you already should have figured out what today's event is none other than soccer!"

"You mean football," corrected Harold.

"Anyway, for today's challenge, we're going to be splitting you into two teams, but before we do that..."

"Izzy's gonna out somebody first."

Johnny seemed frightened because, as Izzy stepped away from the group, she was apparently glancing in his direction.

"Wait, **WHAT?**"

Izzy chuckled. "Not you, Silly Billy! Him!"

She pointed at Wipeout as she walked over towards him. Once she reached him, Izzy poked Wipeout with her left index finger.

"Izzy's got you figured out, inflatable beach whale! Izzy knows why you keep sneaking around and getting to the challenges before anyone else!"

Everyone played close attention, curious to see if Izzy had indeed solved the mystery.

"You're a spy for the British Secret Service! You're the next James Bond, aren't you?"

A series of groans, sighs, and grumbles came from the others.

"Izzy's right, right?"

Chrissy rolled her eyes. "If the whale is the next James Bond, then I'm the next Hayden Panettiere."

Allen coughed.

"Ahem! As I was saying, before we can split you all into two teams, we have to figure out who the captains are going to be. And to do that, we're gonna have to have a Kick-Off Challenge. Each team chooses one kicker to take part. The person who, from midfield, kicks it the closest to the goal, will be the first captain. Your distance will be marked from where the ball first hits the ground. There's also a special reward for that person's entire team. Trust me... you **WANT** to win this challenge, 'cause the winner earns immunity from today's Elimination Challenge."

The teams hastily began discussions as to who would compete. Eva, Tyler, Jude, Duncan, and Heather ended up stepping forward.

"Eva, have at it!"

Eva was the first to go. She kicked it towards the goal, which was about 50 yards away. She got it about halfway there, which was okay but...

"Argh!" she exclaimed. "I could've done better than that!"

She stomped off as Tyler stepped up.

"Ha!" he shouted in defiance. "Let me show you how it's done!"

Tyler blasted the ball with as much kicking power as he could muster. He then watched as it land to his left, in the stands, about ten rows back.

"We get do-overs, right?"

"**NEXT!**" yelled Allen.

Tyler lowered his head in shame as Jude came up. Jude licked his lips with his tongue, then made his kick. Upon being hit, the ball went straight up into the air. When it came back down, it first hit the ground about two feet away from him. A few people, particularly Chrissy, Heather, Duncan, Kelly, and Tyler, laughed at him.

"Dude," Jude said as he looked at Allen. "You sure that's not a trick ball?"

"Pretty sure. **NEXT!**"

Duncan seemed ready to launch the ball right out of the stadium. But suddenly, he saw Wipeout out of the corner of his eye smiling at him.

"Oh, are you mocking me, whale?"

He turned around kicked the ball at Wipeout. It hit the mascot in the top of the head and then bounced off, landing behind him. Wipeout stood there for a few seconds, and then he fell over.

"Better watch it," warned Allen. "The producers are 'this' close to booting you out for unsportsmanlike conduct."

"C'mon, man!" argued Duncan. "He was mocking me!"

"**NEXT!**"

Duncan headed back to his team, all of whom were getting really fed up with his attitude. If their angry glares were any indication. Meanwhile, Heather stepped up for her turn. A small gold flag had been placed at the mark-to-beat, which was still Eva's. Everyone watched as Heather kicked the ball away. They watched to see where it would land.

When it did, it was marked as going about three yards or so further than Eva's, meaning it was approximately the same distance closer to the goal.

"Good kick, Heather. You just won the Maple Team immunity today!"

"**YES!**" she exclaimed, pumping her fist. "In your face, losers!"

"The rest of the Maple Team, please join me up at midfield. Everyone else, back in line."

Once everyone was where they were supposed to be, Allen continued.

"Okay. The game itself will be half of regulation length. That means two 22-and-a-half minute halves. Everything else is as standard. That includes 11 players on the field for each side."

"But assuming even teams," Harold interrupted, "there's only enough people here for ten per side!"

"I was **GETTING** to that! Anyway, to help fill in the gaps, we brought in some local teens to serve as ringers."

On cue, two groups of four teens emerged from the tunnel. One group was wearing fishnet-like jerseys over their shirts, the other was not. Each group had three boys and one girl in it. Both groups lined up alongside the other four teams.

"Heather, you will be the co-captain of one team. Could you please take two steps to your right? As you do that, in the interest of keeping the teams gender-balanced... Chrissy, please step over here to my left. You will be a co-captain of the other team."

The girls took their places, leaving Ty and Johnny beside Allen.

"Heather, your first pick is your other co-captain. Ty or Johnny?"

"Easy. Ty all the way."

"Ty, please join Heather. Johnny, you're with Chrissy."

Once the boys joined their co-captains, it was time to assemble the rest of the two sides.

"Heather and Ty, your team will be known as Side A. Johnny and Chrissy, your team is Side B. From here on out, you will be drafting groups rather individuals. Each side must have two groups of competitors and one group of ringers. Side A, you get first pick. Say the color of the team you want, or, if you want one of the ringer groups, say 'Home' for the team wearing the mesh jerseys and 'Away' for the ones that aren't."

Heather already knew whom she wanted. "White."

Johnny countered quickly. "Okay, we'll go with Gold."

Ty thought for a second before deciding. "Silver."

Johnny whispered something to Chrissy, who then relayed their decision. "The Home team."

That meant the last two picks were already decided, by rule. The Away group joined Side A, leaving the Red Team to be on Side B.

"Okay," Allen resumed, "a few final things. You can start any 11 you want, **BUT** all 10 competitors **MUST** play at some point in the game. Remember, each team gets three substitutions **TOTAL** for the entire game, so be careful. Also, the ringers have been instructed to not take shots on goal. They can assist in setting one up, but any ball hit into the goal by a ringer will not count. Unless, of course, he or she is the goaltender and accidentally knocks the ball into their own net.

"At the end of the game, I will name the MVP. That person will win today's prize, which is an Acer Aspire S5 ultrabook! This very thin laptop is not even on sale yet. The person who wins will be guaranteed to get one of the first ones available once it goes into production in a few weeks. Doesn't that sound swell?

"Lastly, there will be no formal selection for the Elimination Challenge after the game. If Side A loses, the White and Silver Teams will be in the EC. If it's Side B that goes down, the Gold and Red Teams will be in the EC. Understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"You've got 15 minutes to figure out who's starting and where. Good luck, guys."

* * *

After preparations were taken care off, the two sides took the field. Side A was wearing the mesh jerseys over their shirts and tops to differentiate whom was on what team, as Side B was just wearing what they came with.

Side A would start with the ball. Harold, Bridgette, and their girl ringer were on the bench to begin. For Side B, it was Broseph, Wipeout, and Caitlin sitting on the sidelines to start. The referees got into place as Ty stepped up to the ball, and Jen lined up a few steps to his left. Opposing them directly were Eva and Trent. Just in case she did not see her, Ty looked at Jen and pointed at Eva as a warning.

The head official blew the whistle to begin the game, and Ty passed the ball over to Jen. But it was Trent who started coming towards her, as Eva stayed put for the moment. Jen passed it back towards one of her team's ringers, and from there Side A began making their way up the field.

The first half, for the most part, was pretty eventful. On paper, Side A had the better athletes, but it was Side B that was managing to break through and get a couple of shots on goal. The first, shot by Trent, was easily stopped by the goalie, who was one of Side A's ringers. The second, from Eva, was too strong and it sailed over the top of the goal. There were a couple of fouls, but nothing strong enough for anyone to be issued a card.

At halftime, it was still scoreless. Kelly was replaced as keeper for Side B for Wipeout, despite the fact that Side A never got close enough to even take a shot at her.

Early in the second half, Eva got on a breakaway and took her second shot on goal. This one was deflected away by the keeper. A couple minutes later, Duncan was issued a yellow card after a hard tackle on one of Side B's ringers during a scramble for the ball. After that, Duncan never saw the ball again. Coincidentally, on their next possession, Ty, Jen, and Heather found some space on the left side, leading eventually to their team's first shot on goal, by Ty. But it goes just wide right.

Immediately after that shot, the decision was made to send Duncan to the bench. Bridgette took his place on the field. Seeing the substitution, Side B made their own, knowing they had three total to make, as an already pooped Chrissy and their girl ringer both went out, being replaced by Caitlin and Broseph, respectively.

Side A began to make their move, seeing Caitlin stumbling around confused and Broseph not really caring much at all. Jen slipped into the goal area and took a shot at goal. Wipeout knocked the shot away, deflecting it out of bounds. That only delayed the inevitable as that resulted in a corner kick. Side A's left-side midfielder kicked the ball in perfectly towards where several of his team members waited amongst defenders. Ty jumped up in traffic and somehow managed to get the ball past everyone - including Wipeout, who did not see it come off of his head in time - and into the goal.

Ty hollered with glee, his arms in the air and running towards the sidelines, chased by some of his teammates, who congratulated him with high-fives afterwards. 1-0 Side A, at the 36th minute of 45.

When play resumed, Jen of Side A dropped back from forward to midfielder, in a shift to a more 'prevent' formation. With time running down, Side B needed to get aggressive. Eva perhaps went too much so, as Eva received a yellow after shoving Heather to the ground while trying to get open downfield.

Things started getting chippy from there, as both sides started going at each other. The officials did not let the high tempers fly for long. Especially when Izzy left her feet and did a flying tackle on Jude, who at the time had the ball in his possession. That earned the crazy girl a card matching her hair color - red - and a ticket out of the match.

Side A was up one goal, but now down one man as they tried to protect their lead. Side B sent as many people upfield as they could to try and get the equalizer. Harold came off of the bench to replace one of the ringers and get credit for being in the game. He was not much help, as in the final minutes most of his tangles were with Eva. Determined not to lose, Eva pushed her way to the goal.

Eva took a shot on goal. It went wide left.

The sign went up for two minutes of stoppage time. Side B was running out of time. Side A's defense was pretty stout, except for whomever was going against Eva. If Side B were to force extra time, Eva was their only chance. With Harold being useless and the near corner vacated since that was where Izzy had been playing, that left Fin primarily responsible for defending the area Eva was attacking. Fin managed to force Eva towards the corner to block off one decent shot attempt, but the next time down, Eva got past her. She kicked the ball right at the keeper, though a bit high. He got a hand up and deflected it up over the net.

It came down to a corner kick. One of Side B's ringers in-bounded the ball towards the mess of people in the box. Eva tried to head the ball at the goal, but she missed. The ball hit the ground, landing it right in front of Jude. He kicked the ball even though Tyler was in his way. It hit him in the stomach and bounced off, landing by Heather, who cleared the ball out of danger.

Seconds later, the lead official blew the whistle three times in succession. That signified the end of the game.

"That's full time, folks!" Allen shouted through a megaphone. "Side A wins, one to nil!"

Side A began to celebrate, with some of them mobbing co-captain Ty, the only person to score a goal in the game. The members of Side B looked angry and in disbelief as they headed for the sideline.

But there was no time to mope. Another team would soon be sent home.

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The two mass teams, including the ringers, gathered together after the match had been declared official.

"First of all," Allen said, "let's thank our local ringers for taking part. They did a great job today, so let's give them a hand!"

The cast applauded the effort of the locals in the game.

"Thanks for coming today, guys and gals!"

The ringers said their goodbyes to their teammates and then the eight of them headed out of the stadium.

"Okay, down to business! First, the MVP of the game... it's gotta be the only person who scored a goal today, Ty!"

Ty got a round of applause from his competitors.

"For being named MVP, Ty, as promised, you win a new laptop, the Aspire S5 ultrabook, which again you're going to get once you get home. Thank the Acer Group for this revolutionary lightweight and ultra-slim computer, which goes on sale early this summer - but you, Ty, will be getting one of the first in the world once they're put on the production line. So congrats!"

Ty was very happy to hear that, even though he was not much of a computer person.

"White and Silver Teams, for being on the winning team of the challenge, you are all safe from elimination today. Also, as promised, the entirety of the Maple Team is also safe thanks to Heather's win in the Kick-Off Challenge."

The three safe teams applauded with relief.

"That means... Gold Team and Red Team. You will be competing in the Elimination Challenge today, no ifs, ands, or buts! The challenge is an old-fashioned penalty shootout! Each team, pick three shooters and one goalie. Pick wisely, 'cause the team that loses the shootout IS going home today."

The members of the two participating teams began discussing amongst themselves who would be taking on which role.

* * *

The three non-competing teams were sitting in the front row behind the goal at the eastern end of the stadium, while the two teams up for elimination remained on the field with Allen.

"Alright, we flipped a coin, and Red Team won the toss. They decided to shoot second. Goalies, please step forward!"

Kelly stepped forward for the Gold Team and Jude for the Red Team. Allen threw each of them a mesh jersey.

"Jude, you're in goal first! Gold Team, pick your first shooter, and let's get started!"

Jude got into position, and his first opponent took hers.

"Up first for the Gold Team, Eva!"

Eva growled, then charged at the ball. She launched it right at Jude, who had no choice but to jump out of the way to avoid being hurt. And just like that, Gold Team was up 1-0. Eva was all business as she walked back to her teammates. Jude got up and dusted himself as headed off to the side, and Kelly took his place.

"Shooting first for the Red Team, Serena!"

Serena eyed Kelly carefully, as she tried to figure out which way to kick the ball. Serena began her approach to the ball, as she reared her right leg back to kick it hard. But at the last second, she intentionally stutter-stepped, taking some power off. The hope was to get Kelly to react early.

It did not work. Kelly stayed home and easily kicked away Serena's tap shot.

"No good! Chance for Gold to go up two! Trent, you're up!"

Eva whispered something to Trent before he ran out to take his position.

"You can do it, Jude!" Serena shouted. "Stand in there!"

Trent and Jude stared at each other, neither willing to lose. Per Eva's instruction, Trent attempted to shoot straight ahead as well. Jude was not going to budge from the middle this time, though. Trent had a smile on his face... he knew he would not move. Which is why Trent kicked the ball to his left.

Unfortunately, he was off-target, as the ball hit the outside of the left post and bounced away.

"Ooh, close but not cigar! Red Team now with another chance at an equalizer as Caitlin steps up to the box!"

Kelly was smirking as Caitlin took her position.

"This is gonna be easy," Kelly said aloud.

Kelly kept her eyes on Caitlin, trying to read her movements. Caitlin began her approach to the ball, and just as she was about to kick it, Kelly took a step to her right. The correct move, apparently, as Caitlin was going to kick the ball with her right foot. But the blonde did not hit the ball straight on, and as a result, it hooked in the opposite direction of its intended trajectory...

...and it found the back of the net as a result.

"Caitlin scores!" Allen exclaimed. "It's 1-all!"

"No way!" Caitlin gasped in disbelief. "I got it in! I got it in! **EEEEEE!**"

Caitlin ran back to her teammates, and got congratulatory hugs from Serena and Jude, before the latter had to run in to be goalie once more. Up in the stands, Jen was happy for her friend, while Heather was all but pleased.

"Back to the Gold Team, with a chance to retake the lead! Wipeout, you're up!"

Wipeout took his position. Before making his move, though, he pointed towards the goal, immediately telegraphing which way he planned to kick the ball.

"What is he doing?" asked Eva, not happy at all.

It would not matter that Wipeout called his shot anyway, as his kick ended up sending the ball sailing over both Jude's head and the top post of the goal.

"And that's a miss for the mascot! Red Team now with a chance to end it right here."

A lot of nervous eyes shifted towards Broseph, as he slowly made his way onto the field. Kelly took her position in front of the goal.

_Confessional Cam - Kelly_

_"I'm not worried at all. Broseph's so out of it that he'll miss by a mile. Watch!"_

Broseph took a deep sigh before taking a look at where Kelly was, and then where the ball was. He sighed once more before making his approach.

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**" he screamed.

Broseph's sudden scream caught Kelly off-guard, causing her to lose focus. The next thing she knew, Broseph had not only kicked the ball, but it had also already reached her! It hit her in the stomach with such force that it sent her stumbling backwards over the goal line until she finally lost her balance, falling backward and bringing the ball over with her.

"**GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!**" yelled Allen. "The Red Team wins the shootout!"

Broseph looked stunned as to what he had done, but he quickly figured that it was not a dream when he was mobbed by both Caitlin and Serena in a group hug. They were joined by Jude, who settled for giving Broseph a congratulatory fist bump.

"Knew you had it in you, bro," Jude told Broseph.

"Thanks, guy. Guess I still want to be here after all."

While one team was jubilant, the other was downright distraught. Kelly was clutching her stomach and groaning in pain as she got to her feet, Wipeout had his fins on his head in disbelief, Trent had started staring disappointedly at the ground, and Eva was growling in anger so loudly that she looked as if she was going to snap someone in half.

The only thing keeping her from doing so? Herself, as she seemed to be counting to ten under her breath. It seemed to work as her growling subsided, though she still looked pissed.

* * *

"Red Team," Allen addressed them, "second day in a row you four have been forced to prove you were worthy of staying in the competition, and once again, you've passed the test. You may now rejoin the other teams."

They headed back over, and Caitlin and Jude found themselves on the other end of relieved hugs from Jen upon getting back. Allen turned to face the Gold Team.

"As for you guys..."

Suddenly, Izzy burst out of the group of competitors.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Izzy checked and double-checked Izzy's sources, and Izzy can prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Wipeout is a double-agent, working for the RCMP, who wants to find out if the recent Royal Wedding was a cover for an underground, in-development nuclear arms facility."

"**WHAT?**" everyone yelled.

"Uh huh." Izzy nodded. "Izzy's very sure this time."

But Wipeout was not, and he was willing to prove it.

"What are you talking about? I've been doing double duty as a cameraman for the interns who are testing the challenges! All the tapings are early in the morning, so that's why I'm always here before everyone else!"

Most of the group gasped in shock - half for Wipeout revealing the truth, and the other half for speaking for the first time since they arrived in England.

"No wonder you've been slacking," grumbled Eva. "Overexhaustion!"

Kelly wanted to lay into her teammate too, but given that she was still in pain, she could only managed a one-word grumble.

"Whatever."

Izzy burst out into uncontrollable laughter, which went on for a few seconds as she slapped her knee hysterically.

"I can vouch for the whale being on our payroll **WHILE** competing," Allen piped up. "But let's be honest... we didn't think we'd be having to keep this under wraps for so long. We thought he would've been eliminated on the first day."

"Hey!" shouted Wipeout, unhappy with the assumption.

"But what's done is done. Gold Team, it's been great knowing you, but Big Ben's struck midnight. Time to head on out!"

Eva glared at some of the remaining competitors, but instead of voicing her disapproval of them aloud, she instead turned her rage on Wipeout. In response, the mascot quickly bolted for the tunnel, with Eva in hot pursuit.

"**COME BACK, WHALE!**"

Kelly could see several of the others, particularly the girls, openly celebrating her exit. She huffed before heading out as well.

That left Trent, whom had gone over to Caitlin and... gotten down on one knee in front of her as he grabbed her hand?

"I'm really, really, **REALLY** sorry for..."

Caitlin hushed him quickly with a finger before pulling her hand away from his so she could wrap her arms around him and give him one last hug.

"I forgive you for calling me Gwen, like, thirty-seven times on our date. Just promise me you're moving on?"

"Yes. Now I can."

With that, Caitlin let go of Trent. He got up and started heading for the exit, waving farewell to his friends as he did so. Once the entire membership of the Gold Team was out of the stadium, Allen turned to the remaining four teams.

"Whoa," Allen said aloud, "was not expecting a few quote-unquote earth-shattering revelations there, but... congratulations, guys and gals! We started with eight teams and now there are four, which mean half of the field has been sent home already. What awaits you in the next challenge, and how many of you will be booking tickets back to Canada tomorrow? Who knows? I guess you'll find out tomorrow. See you then, Olympians!"

The four remaining teams headed for the exit, knowing that they were all another step closer to winning it all.

**To be continued...**


	6. Effortless

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

And here's the second of this week's two episodes...

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"You're one of Broseph's friends, right? Uh, Johnny?"

"Yeah."

"Look, Broseph, you can't keep sulking like this. It's not healthy."

"An alliance?" questioned Heather. "With someone other than anyone on this team?"

"Yeah, with Jude, Jen, and Caitlin."

Johnny then covered his mouth, realizing he had blurted his new alliance mates out.

"Izzy's very sure this time."

But Wipeout was not, and he was willing to prove it.

"What are you talking about? I've been doing double duty as a cameraman for the interns who are testing the challenges!"

"Gold Team, it's been great knowing you, but Big Ben's struck midnight. Time to head on out!"

After Eva chased Wipeout out of the stadium and Kelly followed them out while grimacing in pain, that left Trent to exit. But not before confronting Caitlin...

"I'm really, really, **REALLY** sorry for..."

Caitlin hushed Trent quickly with a finger before pulling her hand away...

"I forgive you. Just promise me you're moving on?"

And with that, Trent left.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Six - Effortless (06.15.12)**  
**-**

The cast was on the bus, heading back to the Olympic Village after the event at Wembley. Caitlin sighed sadly as she sat on the bus, with Jen giving her a sympathy pat or two on the shoulder.

_Confessional Cam - Caitlin_

_"The whole 'stale air' thing between me and Trent took so long to resolve, and now that it's over with, I should be able to move on. Right?"_

"What am I going to do?" Caitlin asked her friend. "I can't get my mind off of Trent now."

Jen sighed. "I'm probably taking a page out of your playbook, but... why not get your mind off of him by thinking about another boy?"

"I guess that could work."

Caitlin's eyes darted around the bus, and her eyes did not take long to focus on Justin. Seeing he was being watched, Justin smiled, then proceeded to take off his shirt, revealing his bronzed chest and well-toned abs.

"Isn't he so dreamy?" Caitlin cooed as she stared at Justin.

"Hands off!" Chrissy snapped. "I've been wanting to get my hooks into him since Day One!"

Caitlin looked up and saw Chrissy, who was sitting in the seat behind her, pull herself up and over so she could glare at her.

"Well, this is the first time I've heard of it!"

"You know what they say in 'Dating Girl Monthly!' First to see hottie gets first crack at said hottie!"

"Fine," groaned Caitlin. "But I need this to get my mind off of Trent, so if he's not totally into you in three days..."

They glanced over to Justin, who pulled out a full water bottle and dumped it over his head. That made the two blondes even more into him.

"Oh, I only need two!"

"**HEY!**"

Justin looked to his left and saw a miffed Johnny looking at him.

"That was my water bottle!"

Near the other girls, Serena had been watching the whole thing.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"I told myself when I signed up for this that I wasn't in it to get a new boyfriend. I was in it to win! I'll admit, though, there are a couple guys here who are tempting me to go back on my promise."_

Serena was smiling as she checked out a few potential dates from afar.

* * *

After a good night's rest in their apartments, another morning in London had dawned. The competitors woke up and were informed of their next challenge. With it again being in the afternoon, they all took their time getting out of bed and preparing to compete.

Jen and Bridgette, on the other hand...

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Bridgette and I have had enough of Duncan and his antics! That may have flown by without incident in the past, but not this time! We won't stand by and watch him sabotage my, I mean, our chances of winning this competition!"_

The pair were seen standing in front of Apartment 2B as Duncan emerged from it.

"I heard you two wanted to see me?"

* * *

The three made their way to the courtyard, where they could be in privacy... sort of. The girls stared at Duncan as he sprawled out on the bench, leaving them no place to sit.

"Look, girls," he prefaced. "I'm flattered, but I've already got a hot girlfriend. But you never know..."

They glared at him.

"So, this isn't that? Alright, I'm outta here."

He moved to get off of the bench, but Jen grabbed a hold of his shoulders and pushed him back down onto it.

"What the..."

"We're going to have a nice, long chat about your attitude," Jen informed him.

"What about it?"

"Why are you trying to sabotage our team?" asked Bridgette.

Duncan laughed. "What, that again? I thought we went through this already!"

"After yesterday," Jen growled, "it seems you didn't get the message!"

"If you don't want to be here," shouted Bridgette, "then why don't you just go home? Some of us actually want to be here. And want to win!"

"You chicks are off your rockers if you think I got on a plane, again, to just goof around in another country!"

"You had better now try to screw us over!" threatened Jen. "Some of us worked really hard to get on this show!"

"Yeah," chuckled Duncan, smirking. "Some more than others."

He was looking at Bridgette, who was blushing red. First in embarrassment, and then in anger. She reached towards Duncan, but Jen wisely grabbed her first and held her back.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Bridgette thinks she's so innocent. But I know better. She better watch whom she's accusing of being a saboteur!"_

"I'm sick and tired of you!" shouted Bridgette. "Why don't you just go already?"

Duncan stood up and started walking back towards the building. But he stopped after just a few steps, intending to have the last word.

"I expected this from super-competitive over there," he said, referring to Jen, "but you? You really should stop hanging around Courtney. Her attitude's rubbing off on you."

"You come here and say that to my face!" Bridgette barked.

"Whatever," he said as he started moving again.

Jen let go of Bridgette, but she just stood there, her head cool enough to not go after Duncan and do something she would regret.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"If Duncan's told you anything about me, it's a lie! Lie, lie, **LIE!** I will scream if I have to spend one more minute on the same team as him!"_

* * *

A couple hours later, the sixteen remaining competitors walked the short distance to the Olympic Stadium for their next challenge. For once, there was only one person waiting for them inside, on the track. And that was Allen.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 games! Take a good look around. Tomorrow night, this stadium will be officially opened in a special ceremony open to the public. So you're getting to see this place before pretty much anyone else."

Everyone took a good gander of the place, from the clay track to the seats to the roof, parts of which were temporary. A closer look at the track, though, hinted at what Olympic event they were taking on today, given the five 30-inches high hurdles, including one which had an upward-sloping water pit on the other side of it.

"Today, you will be competing in what some may call the oddest sport in the athletics, or track and field, Olympic discipline. Today's event... is the steeplechase!"

_Confessional Cam - Caitlin_

_"Those hurdles look so high! We have to jump over **THOSE**? Though, I suppose they are lower than the counter at The Big Squeeze..."_

_Confessional Cam - Broseph_

_"Water! Which means splashing! Which means... little kiddy waves?"_

"The normal Olympic distance for this event is 3000 meters, which is seven-and-a-half laps, or just a smidge under two miles of running, jumping, and the occasional face-first fall into the water pit. We're giving you a break, though, and only making you go 2000 meters, which is five laps, or about a mile and a quarter."

"That sounds like a lot..." Harold said, before whipping out his inhaler.

"Also, the steeplechase is **ONLY** run as an individual event, so I hereby declare the teams dissolved as of this moment."

There was some gasping, as well as some cheering.

"You mean a merge?" questioned Heather. "Already?"

Caitlin squealed. "You mean I made it to the merge? **EEEEEE!**"

"I never dreamed I'd make it this far," Johnny said with exuberance.

"Whoa," cut in Allen, "hold on there, guys! The teams **ARE** dissolved, but this isn't the final merge. Not yet."

"Awwwww..." groaned about half of the group.

"After this event, you will be getting back into teams. New teams. I'll explain more at the end of the day. Anyway, there will be one and **ONLY** one heat... everyone running together. There are sixteen participants. You must jump over every hurdle - no going around them - along the way. Eighteen in total over five laps. Like yesterday, there will be no selection by anyone of whom has to compete in the Elimination Challenge. To avoid having to be in the EC, you have one task... be one of the first ten runners to cross the finish line."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"The Top Ten earn automatic immunity. The bottom six will be forced to compete in the EC, where any number of you could be sent home afterwards. It could be just one person. Or it could be everyone **EXCEPT** the winner of the EC. Or some number in-between. Don't know. I'll decide after the main event."

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"So anywhere from one to **FIVE** people could go home today? Hmmm... that's going to be make it very important to get in the Top 10 and avoid the EC altogether."_

"Finishing in the Top Ten nets you at least one more day here in the UK. Finishing in the Top **THREE**, however, earns you today's prize! Three of you will be receiving the Panasonic Smart Network 3D Blu-Ray Player, which comes equipped Dolby True HD sound and DVD, HD, and 3D video capability right out of the box! Pretty nifty, if I do say so myself.

"That being said, getting your running shoes on, and we'll get started..."

* * *

A few minutes later, the competitors were all set to go. The first two hurdles, one halfway into the first turn and the other a quarter of the way down the backstretch, had been moved out of the way temporarily. The boys were starting from Lane 1 outwards, right at the start/finish line, while the girls were spread out from Lane 5 outwards, though ten meters further ahead of the boys.

Allen, with the starting pistol in hand, gave them all some final instructions.

"I will give one command, 'racers, to your mark,' in which you will all step up to your designated starting lines, and then I will fire the gun to start the race. Ladies, you must stay in Lane 5 and out for the first 100 meters or so. You'll see at the end of this turn that there is a giant cone. Once you pass it, you may merge to the inside of the track. Gentlemen, you may merge in at the start."

The boys were lined up, from inside to outside: Justin, Duncan, Jude, Ty, Harold, Tyler, Broseph, and Johnny. The girls were lined up, from inside to outside: Serena, Fin, Chrissy, Izzy, Jen, Bridgette, Heather, and Caitlin.

"Good luck, everyone! Racers, to your mark!"

They all stepped up to the line, and...

**BANG!**

_[End Act One]_

* * *

"Racers, to your mark!"

They all stepped up to the line, and...

**BANG!**

The race was on, and most of the perceived stronger runners got out fast. The leaders made it to the backstretch in about 12-13 seconds, fairly quick for a long-distance event. As the field merged up, it was Tyler leading the way, with Ty right behind him. Izzy, Jude, Jen, Heather, Serena, Duncan, Justin, and Johnny were all three- and four-wide behind them as they tried to sort for position and keep from stepping on each other's shoes.

They headed for the top of the next turn, where their first jump, the one over the water pit. This was where it got messy, as Tyler's right foot didn't completely clear the hurdle, and he got off-balance on his landing. That slowed everyone else down, as almost all of the runners were unable to find room and space to jump over at full speed. But somehow, Heather sneaked through, and she took over the lead.

"See you later, suckers!" she shouted back at the field.

Many of those in the back of the pack struggled to jump over the first hurdle, and a number of them, including Caitlin, Harold, and Johnny, get over and land face-first in the water pit.

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"It was terrible! This event should be classified as cruel and unusual punishment!"_

Back at the front, Heather reached the next hurdle near the start of the frontstretch and leaped it with ease. But so did Tyler and Ty, both whom cleared it without trouble, and they both passed her. Jude and Jen were right behind, but the latter suddenly decided to take a far glance over her shoulder. Jen was looking towards Caitlin who was near the back of the pack.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I **SO** wanna win this challenge, and I probably can, but for our alliance to work, I have to make sure Caitlin stays in the competition."_

Jen slowed down to a light jog. Ahead of her, the leaders had cleared the next jump and passed the start line, where Allen had a lap counter up that read '4,' as in four laps to go. Then, at the next hurdle, with Tyler again in the lead, he clipped the obstacle. This time, he landed awkwardly on his left leg, then spun around and fell onto the track.

"Whoa, **WHOA!**" shouted Ty, upon jumping over the hurdle.

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"I've never come down like that before!"_

Ty landed and managed to dodge Tyler without breaking stride. No such luck for either Jude or Heather, who had to slow down a bit. Tyler was grimacing in pain, but he pushed himself up off of the ground and started running again. Meanwhile, Jen was now pretty much walking as she reached the start/finish line, getting passed by the field as she 'took a breather.'

"Something wrong?" Allen asked.

"Not... really," lied Jen, eager to run but forcing herself to wait. Eventually, Caitlin did catch up, and she seemed out of breath already.

"Jen!" she cried.

"'Bout time! Come on!"

Jen motivated Caitlin to press on by shouting at her. The only person behind them at that point of time was Chrissy, who appeared to be as unhappy as Caitlin was after just one lap.

"Worst... event... ever!" gasped Chrissy.

* * *

The race continued on. Ty and Jude were running one-two, the latter content with running behind the former for a bit. Heather was a few seconds back, trying to keep them within striking distance. By the time they get to halfway, though, Heather realized she could not maintain their pace, and she backed off. At the third jump, Jude started walking, allowing Ty to get away. Jude's tired look was quickly mirrored by several of the others, many aching in pain. In the battle for tenth place, Harold had about a four-second lead on Johnny and Duncan, who surprisingly - or not - holding back.

Speaking of holding back, it was taking every ounce of self-control in Jen's body to keep from leaving Caitlin, who was not having any fun jumping hurdles.

"Move it, people!" Allen shouted. "Five laps isn't that hard!"

Ty got to the 'two to go' signal, and he caught up to Chrissy at the first jump. Immediately after clearing it, Chrissy was upset about being lapped.

"Oh, that is so **IT**!"

Chrissy stopped running and walked off the track, gasping for air. Next up on the track for Ty to catch was Broseph, who was already walking as if he had given up. Ty huffed and puffed as he went around Broseph on the outside.

Elsewhere, a group of seven runners with only about ten seconds between the first and last person in line were chugging alone. Among them was Duncan, who finally decided enough was enough as he started picking up speed and running off. Serena, who had been at the front of the group, went after him. She quickly looked back as she crossed the start/finish line to see if she was getting help, but no one else had gone with her.

She then gave up chasing Duncan and settled for maintaining the gap over the group of five behind her, among which the tenth place runner was currently positioned.

Eventually...

**RING-DING RING-DING RING-DING!**

Allen rang the bell as Ty began the final lap. He had lapped a number of people by this point that he was not sure who was in second and how close he or she was. Quick look over to Heather, who was that person, but she was an entire half lap behind.

Elsewhere...

"**ARGH!**"

Tyler was heard crying in pain as he limped to the inside of the track and took a seat on the grass. He was favoring his left leg as a nearby official signaled for a paramedic. As he was tended to, his cries were loud enough to cast doubt and lapse of concentration in some of the other runners. Broseph, who had been walking for awhile now, officially quit as he stepped off the track. Izzy, for some odd reason, decided she was tired of jumping over hurdles, so she ran around one. Jude ended up running into one, and after finding himself too tired to climb over it, he decided to crawl under it instead.

Seeing things transpire, Allen was displeased. This was even as Ty was coming into the finish line. The official time clock stopped at 7:36.19, and despite winning without any challengers near him, he had a pained look on his face as he hobbled off the track. The next person to cross the line was fourth-place Justin, who still had an entire lap to go.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"If you were to tell me I would've won this event by this big of a margin, I would have laughed! I don't know if I was the only one ready to run or what today, but I'll take it!"_

Heather thought she would comfortably finish second, but she was very shocked to someone yelling in determination as she approached the second-to-last hurdle. She looked over her shoulder and saw Duncan, of all people, chasing her down at full speed.

"Where the heck did **YOU** come from?"

Heather jumped the hurdle and began the final sprint to the finish. But she had nothing left in the tank to hold off Duncan, who flew by her, jumped the last hurdle, and crossed the finish before her.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Anyone else still think I'm throwing challenges?"_

Duncan was smiling as he saw Heather gasp over the finish line.

"Nice finish, Long Legs," chuckled Duncan, sarcastically.

"Shut up!"

* * *

After Heather, the next to cross were Justin, Fin, Serena, Johnny, Harold, and Bridgette. Only eleven were going to finish the race, and the last two on the track were...

"Caitlin, **JUMP THAT HURDLE!**"

"I can't, Jen!"

"When I say jump, the answer isn't 'how high?' It's '**DO IT!**'"

Caitlin cleared the last hurdle and only had 20 meters of track left in front of her. Jen was right behind her, and she stayed there, still yelling at her friend to not stop.

"Don't you dare stop 'til you cross that line, Cait!"

Caitlin was ready to cry, but she persevered long enough to get to her destination, finishing in tenth... and guaranteed immunity from the EC.

_Confessional Cam - Heather_

_"Honestly, at this point if you need to be helped, you don't deserve to be here anymore. You are the weakest links. Goodbye!"_

Heather was unhappy that Jen had sandbagged to help Caitlin, for many reasons. But if she was unhappy, Allen was downright angry.

"You guys are not much for effort, are you? That was the most downright pathetic display I've ever seen!"

He started pointing out today's losers.

"Jen, Jude, Izzy, Chrissy, Broseph, and Tyler - if the doctor's clear him..."

A quick glance over to Tyler, who was getting his sore leg massaged and iced down by the paramedic, and the on-site doctor, who gave a thumbs up for 'he's cleared to compete.'

"You six are competing in the EC today. Head over to the other side of the track..."

He pointed to where a normal 200-meter race would start.

"...and double time, before I decide to send the lot of you home now!"

The group started heading that way, even if Tyler had to limp there. Except for Jen, who wanted to make sure Caitlin was not sore at her for pushing her so hard.

"Now means **NOW**!" yelled Allen.

Jen quickly changed her mind and sprinted off to join the others. Allen then turned towards the top three finishers.

"Thankfully, **SOME** of you ran all out. Ty, Duncan, and Heather, you three each win a Panasonic Blu-Ray Player, blah blah blah, and something more important to your immediate futures in this competition... which you'll find out after... **THIS!**"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The six participants of the Elimination Challenge were on their way to the other side of the track. Before the EC could take place, though, Allen had another matter to deal with in regards to the ten guaranteed survivors.

"While they're heading over," Allen told the group, "we're going to begin drafting new teams with the ten of you."

A few people in the group seemed surprised.

"Ty, Duncan, and Heather... please step forward."

The Top 3 finishers in the challenge did as they were told.

"The three of you will be picking the new teams. We started with teams of four, and now we're moving to teams of three."

A cart was pushed onto the track, with three shirts of each of the four remaining team colors: maple, white, silver, and red.

"Ty and Duncan, you guys are lucky. You get to keep the same team color. Heather, since you were on Ty's team, you obviously can't keep the same color. So, choose your new color... silver or red?"

Heather takes only a few seconds to decide.

"Silver to me means second place. And second place is the first loser. Hence, I want red."

Allen tossed Heather a new red colored shirt.

"One last thing... gender balancing is now off the table, which means feel free to pick anyone you want. Among the seven standing here, of course."

Allen was referring to Justin, Fin, Serena, Johnny, Harold, Bridgette, and Caitlin.

"Ty, as the winner, you get to select your team first. Pick two people to be part of the new Maple Team."

Ty looked at his choices, rubbing his chin as he did.

"Fin..."

"Yes," Fin said excitedly as she pumped her fist before walking over to Ty.

"...and Johnny."

"Whoa! Really, dude, that's awesome!"

Johnny joined Ty and Fin. Allen then tossed Ty's teammates new maple shirts.

"Show loyalty," observed Allen. "Could be a good move. Or not. Who knows? Duncan, pick two to join the new White Team."

Duncan groaned loudly. "Oh, come on! Junior Hasselhoff over here picked the only person in the group worth getting it."

That did not please the five remaining draftees one bit.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Excuse **ME**? Duncan's got a lot of nerve given the stunts he's tried to pull. But it's okay. After the last few days, I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me."_

"Fine. Her..."

He pointed to Serena, who was ecstatic about being picked.

"...and... I can't believe I'm saying this... Bridgette."

Bridgette's jaw dropped.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"**SON OF A...**"_

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Given the circumstance, I think I picked a real hottie, one who's gotten some talents and has been flying under the radar. Oh, yeah, and Bridgette. What a nag she's been, but she's better than nothing. And all my other choices are nothing!"_

Bridgette had arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Duncan as she walked over to him. Serena got tossed a new white shirt.

"Heather," Allen smiled, looking her way. "Your turn!"

Heather had been left with Justin, Harold, and Caitlin.

"Pick two."

Heather sighed. "Well, choice one is obvious."

Harold took one step forward...

"Justin."

Justin walked over to Heather's side. He then got thrown a red shirt, which landed on his head. Meanwhile, Heather was about to make her second choice. Harold started picking his nose, and Caitlin reviled in disgust upon seeing it.

"Fine! Caitlin!"

Caitlin squealed with delight. She ran over to hug Heather, who stuck her arms out to stop her. Caitlin stopped to turn her focus to doing the same to her other new teammate, Justin. That time, Allen stopped her... by throwing her new red shirt into her face.

_Confessional Cam - Heather_

_"Harold's a known commodity, even if a pathetic one. But I had to pick Caitlin. If not, I ran the risk of her ending up on a team with Jen. And I wasn't about to let that happen."_

Allen walked over to Harold, the odd man out.

"The good news, my man, is that even though you weren't picked, you're still in the competition. And you're the captain of the new Silver Team!"

No new shirt for Harold, though, as he was already on the Silver Team to begin with.

"The bad news? You get to pick two of the five surviving losers over there. Not exactly prime cut, I tell you that much. Speaking of which... time to send someone home!"

* * *

Allen walked over to the spot on the track that would normally be the start of the 200-meter dash. Waiting there were Jen, Chrissy, Broseph, Tyler, Jude, and Izzy.

"So, in the Olympics, the steeplechase is normally run over 3000 meters. You ran 2000 meters in the main event, and for the EC, you're gonna run the remaining 1000! Neat, huh?"

All of them, except for Jen, looked at him as if he was crazy.

"1000 meters is two-and-a-half laps. You may be in the EC, but there is good news. Only the **LAST** person to cross the finish is getting sent home. Sounds easy, right? But your legs are already burning and some of you are in some serious pain..."

Tyler was rubbing his left leg furiously to numb the pain away.

"...but, hey, you guys want to be Olympians? They deal with it all the time. So suck it up! It's just another 1000 meters... and two more jumps over the water pit."

Chrissy audibly gulped upon hearing that. Her hair and clothes were already a wet and sweaty mess.

"Enough jabber. We don't have all day! Racers, **TO YOUR MARKS!**"

The six of them lined up along a curved taped line that had been placed earlier in the day on the track. Once all in position, Allen raised the starting pistol and pulled the trigger...

**BANG!**

The group took off, knowing all they had to do was not be last. To Jude, Izzy, and Jen, though, that did not mean they would take it easy. The trio was going hard as they came around the first turn, where they reached the first hurdle. They all cleared it with ease, then continued onto the front straightaway. Tyler was not far behind, running decently but not at full blast. He climbed up and over the first hurdle and kept going. Broseph and Chrissy were running together at the back of the pack, taking their time.

The ten finalists stood on the inside of the track at or near the finish line. The lap counter read '2' as the lead trio leaped the hurdle on the front stretch, passed the finish line, then continued into the next turn, where another hurdle awaited them shortly thereafter.

The action was mostly focused on the back three, as the front three were giving it their all. Tyler was limping around the track, but he still seemed to be slowly pulling away from Chrissy, who was really struggling to get over the hurdles, and Broseph, who was hanging back with her.

"What's Broseph doing?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah," added Fin. "He should be further up in the pack. Unless..."

A couple minutes later, Allen had gotten to the finish line. Just in time to ring the bell that signified that the leaders were starting their final lap. Izzy had taken over the lead, and Jude and Jen were running side-by-side, just a few strides behind her. Tyler was just getting onto the frontstretch, while Chrissy and Broseph had just reached the water jump. Chrissy carefully got over and landed with her feet first - for once - in the pit, and Broseph followed.

"What... are... you... doing?" puffed Chrissy as she looked over at Broseph.

"Trust... me..." Broseph huffed back.

"I know... I so... look bad. But you're... making me... look worse!"

At this point, everyone in the stadium, from the spectators to the runners, had figured that Broseph was definitely sandbagging. And it was beginning to become obvious why...

Anyway, Jen ended up crossing the finish line first, followed by Izzy, whom she had caught on the backstretch, and Jude, who just walked the last few meters after clearing the final hurdle. Tyler was clearly grimacing as he crossed soon after... and then promptly found a seat on the infield grass, again favoring his left leg.

Eventually, Chrissy and Broseph reached the final 100 meters, now running side-by-side.

"Go ahead... leave me... in the dust... like you're so planning to do."

Broseph kept by Chrissy's side, staying silent.

"Sorry, betty... not my plan..."

They reached the final hurdle. They jumped over it simultaneously. They both cleared it with ease, or at least appeared to.

"**OW**, guy!"

Broseph started hobbling on his left leg, as he had come down on his right too hard. Chrissy smiled. She could not believe her luck! She sprinted the final 20 meters or so and crossed the line, ensuring her at least another day in London. A few seconds later, Broseph limped across the line.

"**O-M-G!**" cried Chrissy. "I **SO** want to shower right now, but I can't believe it! I'm still alive! **I'M STILL ALIVE!**"

Seeing Chrissy happy, Broseph... started walking normally. Fin walked over and playfully elbowed him in the side.

"That's nice of you to fake an injury there."

Johnny came over as well. "Yeah. Even though we know you didn't do it to take pity on Chrissy."

And apparently Allen knew as well... and he was not happy.

"Sorry, guy," Broseph apologized. "You're not mad, are you?"

Unfortunately, he was.

"Shirt, please!"

Broseph pulled off his sweat, stinky red shirt and gave it to Allen. The host then pointed to the tunnel leading out of the stadium. Broseph complied, heading for the exit. There were a few shocked faces in the group - not because Broseph was leaving, but because of the way he was.

Once Broseph was out of sight, Allen threw his shirt into a nearby trash can. He then marched over to the remaining 15 competitors, even though some of them were still recovering from the EC.

"This is an Olympic-style competition, which requires an Olympic-sized effort! If anyone else here no longer wants to do that, please walk out of this stadium **RIGHT NOW!**"

They all looked at each other, wanting to see if anyone was going to give up. Eyes were especially on Duncan, Caitlin, Tyler, and Chrissy, each for reasons previously explained.

But no one was ready to throw in the towel.

"You've all come here to compete! To represent your country! To represent Fresh TV! To represent yourselves! If I see anyone, and I do mean **ANYONE**, try to throw a challenge from here on out... I'm sending you home right there and then. Understand?"

The group nodded. With that, Allen turned around and headed out, leaving without giving his exit remarks to the survivors.

_Confessional Cam - Broseph_

_"I know host guy's mad at me, but I had to do it. I just can't be here anymore. I miss the waves so much. Staying here a day more is like a death sentence to me. Sorry, bro, but a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do."_

The remaining competitors eventually headed out to begin the walk back to the Olympic Village. Three new teams, Harold, and the five EC survivors were stunned about what had just happened, and were perplexed as to what the team makeup would be for the next challenge.

For now, though... a lot of them were in need of some rest.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"Guess who's the new Mister Popular? This guy!"_

_(Harold has a big decision to make...)_

"The three people you **DON'T** pick," Allen informed him, "are going to be in a world of trouble!"

"You **NEED** us," Jen said, as Jude nodded next to her.

"Picking them is the **WORST** thing you can do," advised Heather.

Ty and Fin rejoiced upon seeing a super surfing routine.

"I so wish I was there!" Johnny exclaimed.

_(But there's no water in the next event...)_

"Who's the genius who wanted to put a bow in her hands?"

Heather and Duncan stood side-by-side, ready to duel with their bows and arrows.

"Only one of us is losing this," Heather declared, "and it's **NOT** gonna be me!"

"Says the most-hated 'Total Drama' champion in history," fired back Duncan.

_(Remember, pointy end out...)_

"Isn't this, like, dangerous?" asked Chrissy.

"Izzy once shot arrow at this guy's head from 35 feet away! Don't know what happened to him... Izzy left him behind in the woods!"

"**PERMISSION TO ASK FOR FULL-BODY ARMOR?**" suddenly yelled Johnny.

_(...on the next 'Fresh from Europe!')_


	7. Bonding with Arrows

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

This is episode seven, which means we're halfway through the competition? Is your favorite character still in the running? Time to head back to London to see who's going home tonight...

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"Isn't he so dreamy?" Caitlin cooed as she stared at Justin.

"Hands off!" Chrissy snapped. "I've been wanting to get my hooks into him since Day One!"

"Why are you trying to sabotage our team?" asked Bridgette.

Duncan stood up and started walking back towards the building. But he stopped after just a few steps, intending to have the last word.

"You really should stop hanging around Courtney. Her attitude's rubbing off on you."

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"After the last few days, I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me."_

"...Bridgette."

Bridgette's jaw dropped.

"Shirt, please!"

Broseph pulled off his sweat, stinky red shirt and gave it to Allen. The host then pointed to the tunnel leading out of the stadium. Broseph complied, heading for the exit.

"You've all come here to compete! To represent your country! To represent Fresh TV! To represent yourselves! If I see anyone, and I do mean **ANYONE**, try to throw a challenge from here on out... I'm sending you home right there and then. Understand?"

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Seven - Bonding with Arrows (06.18.12)**  
**-**

It was the morning after Broseph's unceremonious exit. The cast was slow to get up today, and with good reason...

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"Thank God today's a rest day! Man, I'm aching after everything we've been put through these past few days."_

Johnny was seen pouring milk into a bowl half filled with cereal. He found a spoon, then went over to the couch to sit down. He sat there for about two minutes before he noted the obvious...

"Man, this sucks without a TV."

* * *

While Johnny was hoping to have a day to himself, Harold was expecting everyone to be bothering him today.

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"Guess who's the new Mister Popular? This guy! Seriously, now that I have the power to choose my own team, everyone cares about me!"_

Case in point, Jen and Jude had taken it upon themselves to visit Harold early in the morning. They were meeting in the living room of Harold's apartment, long before anyone had gotten up.

"Let's just get right to it," Jen told him. "Tyler's accident-prone, Izzy's mentally unstable, and Chrissy is mostly beauty, little brain. That leaves Jude and I. Trust me, you lucked out with us. Make us your teammates, and we'll go all the way to the end."

"Yeah, man," added Jude. "Jen refuses to lose, and I'm the chill dude with quiet intensity."

"Quiet... intensity?" questioned a suspect Harold.

"Uh huh. Jen says I can be a real compet- compet- guy who does well in sports. I just have to find out what I'm really good at. And she can help you, too, bro!"

"Really?"

Harold glanced over at Jen, who quickly nodded her head up and down.

"Of course! Besides, remember how much farther you got to the end than either of us? And that was with Lindsay! Imagine what you could do with us!"

"Hmmm..."

"You **NEED** us," Jen said, as Jude nodded next to her.

Harold had time to think about it...

* * *

...but, of course, a certain someone found out about the meeting, and she dropped in on Harold to undo her rival's work.

"Picking them is the **WORST** thing you can do," advised Heather.

Harold stopped clipping his toenails, which he was doing at the kitchen counter, in plain sight of Heather, and looked up at her.

"Why?"

"First of all, do you have to do that **NOW**?"

"Yes."

"And, second, haven't you heard? The two of them are in an alliance together. With Bridgette. And that Johnny Front Desk guy. Why do they call him that, anyway?"

"So?"

"**SO?**"

"Maybe I can talk them in letting me in their alliance."

"What? No, you can't do that?"

"Says you? Heather, I've known you since Wawanakwa. How many times have you tried to stop an alliance because you weren't it?"

"I wouldn't try to stop them if they'd ally with me! Besides, you know how ultra-competitive Jen is. She's a threat! Probably the biggest one left! Do you really want to team up with her and help her get to the end, even when you know she can beat you at pretty much any Olympic event in a heads-up challenge?"

"Noted. But she has a propensity of taking herself out after too long. Until that happens, I'm fine with allying with her."

"Argh! You're useless!"

Heather started heading for the exit out of the apartment.

"You know, I'd agree to pass on them if you and I allied..."

"Not happenin', dweeb!"

Heather departed, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

A couple hours later, Justin approached Harold in the living room.

"I am hear on behalf of Chrissy to speak on her behalf," Justin told him.

"Why doesn't she want to convince me herself?"

"I don't know. Something about 'she wouldn't be caught dead begging to someone like you.'"

"Figures. So, what's her argument for being on my team?"

"She told me to say that despite her seniority in age, she was willing to let you boss her around because of your experience in these reality shows. Also, because I want to keep her around."

"Why? Are you into Chrissy?"

"What can I say?"

He showed his proof, as he flashed his smile, then ripped off his shirt, flexed his muscles, and presented his rock-hard abs.

"I still got it."

"Not sure if Chrissy is worth having as a teammate," Harold thought out loud, "but from one Drama Brother to another, I promise to at least give it some serious thought."

Justin reached out and shook his friend's hands.

"That's all she asks. Thank you."

* * *

That night, Harold walked into his bedroom. His roommate, Tyler, was waiting for him. Harold sighed.

"I'm kinda surprised you waited until now," Harold said aloud. "So let's get it over with."

He sat down on his bed and asked Tyler the question.

"Why do you want to be on my team?"

Tyler responded... by pulling out the board game version of one of their favorite Japanese game shows.

"Is that the home version of 'Human Itchi My Car Go-Go?'"

"**YOU BET IT IS!**"

Tyler lifted off the cover and the two started to set the game up.

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"Which dumb jock just reminded a future teammate about a common like? **THIS GUY!**"_

* * *

Harold went to sleep that night still undecided on which two people to draft for his team. But while he was all business as he dreamed, early the next morning, a small group was thinking all pleasure.

"Where are they? The cab'll be here any second!"

"You know how girls are. Tell them to be ready in ten, and they'll take thirty. Take my sister, for example..."

"Uh, Ty? You **DO** realize we have a cameraman filming us, right?"

"I know! And I realize it doesn't sound right, but trust me. I've seen more girls take as long as my sister than girls that don't, Johnny."

Suddenly, they heard a horn. The cab van they had called for was pulling up. Just as it did, two blonde-haired girls emerged from the building. One was Fin, and she had with her Bridgette, in a rare moment seeing her with her hair hanging loose, instead of in a bun.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"So walking around seeing the sights yesterday, we found an Internet cafe that's open 24 hours! I also happened to remember that a certain surfing awards' show is being broadcast online this morning. And I figured the gang would want to see it. As well as a certain surfing celebrity I idolize..."_

"Wow," gasped Johnny, "with your hair down, Bridge, you look cute!"

Even though she was half-asleep, that comment managed to grab her attention. And she was not happy about it.

"I mean," Johnny corrected himself, "not that you don't look cute at other times. And I also seem to recall you have a boyfriend..."

Bridgette's frown was turning into a scowl. Ty quickly stepped in and covered his friend's mouth.

"Quit while you're ahead, dude."

Johnny nodded, and Ty lowered his hand.

"This better be worth getting up at 5 am for," Bridgette told them.

"Oh, it's **SO** worth it," Fin assured her. "Besides, we've all been wanting to spend some time hanging out with you. You know, 'cause we're all surfers."

"Well, I guess it would get my mind off of... well, everything. Alright, let's do it!"

"Yes!" Ty shouted. "She's on board! Let's get this show on the road!"

The four piled into the cab van, along with their cameraman, on their way to a local Internet cafe.

* * *

A little while later, the group of four were seen crowding around two computers. The boys were sitting at one, and the girls at the other. They had managed to pick up some snacks and drinks and were enjoying them as they watched the awards show stream.

"Whoa!" pointed out Fin. "Look at that sick move!"

"Did he really just drop into that?" Johnny asked, before covering his eyes. "I can't look!"

"How is he staying on his board?" questioned Ty. "Look at... no way he's gonna get out of that."

But as they watched the video, which was a tape of a ride done off the record at a pro world tour event in Tahiti, they saw that the surfer they were watching would, indeed, escape safely and still on his board.

"He did it!" squealed Bridgette. "**HE DID IT!**"

"Yeah, he did!" exclaimed Fin. "Man, I hope that's me one day, barreling through triple- and quadruple-overhead waves without fear."

"Me too! Man, that would be great!"

Bridgette was smiling, and that made Fin smile as well.

"This is the first time I've seen you smile the whole time we've been here, Bridge. I missed seeing it."

"Well," Bridgette said, as she blew a strand of her hair off of her face, "the last few weeks have been kinda stressful..."

Fin shushed her before Bridgette could get to talking.

"We can talk about what's bugging you another time. Right now, we're just..."

"...chillaxing like indoor beach bums!" Johnny jumped in.

Bridgette broke out in laughter, followed by Fin and Ty. Johnny was confused.

"You really need a brush-up on current surfing lingo, man," Ty said.

Suddenly, they heard a phone ring. It was one of the ones the group had to inform them of challenges. Johnny pulled it out of his pocket, and sure enough...

"Bummer. Looks like we just got challenge info."

"Aw," whined Fin. "I wanted to see who won Ride of the Year! Or, at the very least, who wins the Women's Performance Award!"

Bridgette gathered herself as she stood up.

"Oh well. Another Olympic challenge calls!"

The others got up and started heading for the door, cleaning up their mess, settling their tab before departing, and calling a cab to take them back to the Olympic Village.

"Thanks for asking me to come with you guys," Bridgette thanked them as they waited. "I really appreciate it!"

"Like I said," Fin repeated, "us surfers gotta stick together."

The two girls shared a friendly hug. A few minutes later, their cab arrived, and it was back to the Village to get ready for today's event.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

After washing up, the four surfers met the others outside their apartment just in time for the trip to Lord Cricket's Ground, the location of today's challenge. Although known as the 'home of cricket,' said sport was not contested at the Olympics. So the competitors had to wonder... what would they be doing there?

All except for Harold, who had two big decisions to make.

"Harold, by me. Teams to my right, draftees to my left."

Everyone took their proper place as assigned. The blowing winds and the 40-degree weather persuaded them to do so quickly.

"Nice weather today, huh?" Allen joked.

"Ha ha, very funny!" grumbled Duncan.

"Given you had a day off yesterday, you've had plenty of time for my message to you from last time to sink in. No more sandbagging from anyone anymore, right?"

Everyone nodded compliantly. Allen then turned to Harold.

"But 'cause we had a day off, Harold, you had an extra 24 hours to think about who will be your two new teammates."

All eyes turned to the draftees: Chrissy, Izzy, Jen, Jude, and Tyler.

"One bit of warning before you tell me whom you've chosen. The three people you **DON'T** pick are going to be in a world of trouble!"

An intern came out, cradling two folded silver-colored short sleeve shirts in hand. Seeing only two shirts worried the draftees.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"No! He couldn't be thinking what I think he's doing!"_

_Confessional Cam - Jude_

_"Aw, man! I'm not ready to go yet! I haven't found a good place to shred yet!"_

"Now that I've told you that and put a little extra pressure on you..."

Harold frowned.

"...who have you selected to be on the new Silver Team with you?"

"Well, first, Allen, I gotta watch out for my friends. So my first pick is Tyler."

"**YES!**" Tyler shouted.

He pumped his fist, then started moonwalking. But he only slid on the grass a few feet before tripping over himself and falling to the ground, landing on his gimpy left leg.

"**ARGH!**" he cried. "My leg!"

"Gosh!" Harold shouted, rolling his eyes.

Duncan, Heather, and Justin broke out in hysterical laughter as Harold helped pick his new teammate off the grass.

"C'mon, man," Harold whispered to him. "You're making me look bad!"

"Sorry, bro!"

Once up, Tyler was able to stand up on both feet, though he was still grimacing in visible pain.

"Harold," Allen cut in, "second selection! Some time today!"

Harold inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"My second pick... is Jen."

Jen gasped in shock. "No way! You picked me? I wasn't expecting that at all!"

She then leaned over and whispered to Jude. "Sorry, Jude. But at least one of us is still in it."

Jen walked over to her new teammates, picking up her new shirt as well as Tyler.

"And with that, we have a new Silver Team!" Allen exclaimed. "But, hmmm... what to do about you three?"

Chrissy and Jude started shaking in fear, while Izzy began to whistle as if she did not care. Allen smiled, then whistled off camera. Another intern came out, carrying a small cardboard box.

"So, would any of you like to guess what's in the box?" he asked.

"Ooh, ooh!" Izzy jumped up and down with her arm in the air. "Izzy knows! It's tickets for a seven-day, six-night trip to Antarctica!"

Chrissy and Jude looked strangely at her.

"What? It could happen!"

"Chrissy!" Allen said, singling her out. "Come and open the box!"

"Why me? What's in there?"

Allen refused to answer, stepping aside so Chrissy had a clear path to the intern. Chrissy gulped as she headed over. She opened the box and pulled out a pink short sleeve shirt.

"I'm not one to turn down free clothes, especially a top this cute, but this so isn't my shade of pink."

Jude and Izzy walked over and found pink shirts of their own to pull out.

"The good news is that you're not going home **AND** you three are now the Pink Team. The bad news - for Jude, anyway - is that you're wearing pink."

Again, Duncan, Heather, and Justin broke out in hysterical laughter.

"Aw, man," groaned Jude. "I'm totally gonna look like a bra, bro!"

"Them's the breaks," Allen said. "But now that everyone's on teams, we can move on to today's event... team archery!"

He pointed out the two targets on the far end of the field and the small assortment of bows and quivers of arrows off to the side.

"Each archer will get a bow and five arrows. Your task? To score as many points as possible by firing your arrow at the targets, which are 50 feet away, and trying to hit the bullseye, or as close to it as you can. Standard archery scoring rules apply, which means a bullseye is worth 10 points, each ring in succession going outwards is worth one point less than the one inside it, and if you miss... you get a big ol' goose egg! Rack up as many points as you can, because only the two teams that score the most points will move on to the final round. In the finals, each of the competing arrows will get another five arrows, and the team that scores the highest wins the event!"

One of the interns walked up and handed a bow to Heather, to her delight... and a few others' dismay.

"Who's the genius who wanted to put a bow in her hands?" Jen asked.

Heather stuck a tongue out at Jen as her reply. Allen resumed his explanation of the event rules.

"The team who scores the lowest in the preliminary round will have to fight for survival in the EC, against a team selected by the winners. But that's not all... today, we could have a rare case in which **THREE** teams might have to compete in the EC."

"Say what now?" questioned Fin.

"This is the second of three 'additional stipulation' events. That means, newly-created Pink Team, you're gonna have to work harder than usual today to avoid being placed in the EC. Your stipulation is... your team **MUST** advance out of the preliminary round. In other words, you must finish first or second today! If you do not, you will be competing in the EC."

"No fair!" exclaimed Chrissy.

"Harsh, man," groaned Jude.

"One last thing. Today's winning team wins a year's supply of Powerade, a sports drink that comes courtesy of the Coca-Cola Company. In addition, each member of the winning team will get a free bottle of Powerade delivered to them every morning from now until the end of the competition, or you get sent home, whichever comes first."

"A sports drink?" questioned Jen. "Seriously?"

"A year's supply!" Allen replied back. "You do realize how much that costs, right?"

Harold pulled out a handheld calculator to start crunching the numbers...

"That was a rhetorical question."

...and then he stopped.

"Okay, anyone not in team colors yet get in them. Select your bows, and let's get started!"

* * *

The preliminaries were ready to begin. In the first round of shooters were Serena, Chrissy, Tyler, Johnny, and Caitlin. But just as they were about to get the 'go' signal, Chrissy had a question.

"Isn't this, like, dangerous?"

"Izzy once shot arrow at this guy's head from 35 feet away! Don't know what happened to him... Izzy left him behind in the woods!"

"**PERMISSION TO ASK FOR FULL-BODY ARMOR?**" suddenly yelled Johnny.

"Permission denied," replied Allen, before adding, "Izzy, no scaring other competitors."

"Okay!"

"Archers, ready? And... **GO!**"

The first round got off to a bad start, as the archers struggled to hit any part of the target. And when they did, they were in the low-scoring rings. One pleasant exception was Chrissy, whom, after a slow start, finished with two arrows in the '6' ring and her final one in the '9,' just missing the bullseye.

_Confessional Cam - Justin_

_"So Chrissy does have some talent in that pretty little head of hers. Now I really need to get on her good side. She's a sleeper. And a keeper!"_

While Chrissy was ecstatic, getting the best single-arrow score and best score in the round, Caitlin was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. All five of her shots missed the target, with none of them landing any closer than 15 feet away.

[After 1 Round: Pink 21, White 16, Maple 11, Silver 10, Red 0]

* * *

The second round of archers consisted of Bridgette, Jude, Jen, Fin, and Justin. All of them managed to hit the target on the first try, though all in the outer rings. Most people improved from there on out, particularly Jen and Jude, who got the highest scores in the round.

As for Bridgette, she was in disbelief after ending on three misses.

"Shoot," she finally realized as she felt the wind blow through her hair. "I knew I forgot to account for something!"

Duncan shook his head as he glared at Bridgette, right as she passed the bow to Serena.

[Round 2 Scores: Pink 34, Silver 33, Maple 28, Red 26, White 8]  
[After 2 Rounds: Pink 55, Silver 43, Maple 39, Red 26, White 24]

* * *

The final round of archers stepped up, and included Duncan, Izzy, Harold, Ty, and Heather. Izzy got everyone's attention when she scored the first bullseye of the event, on her first try.

"Way to go," cheered Serena, even though she was not on Izzy's team.

"Oh, Izzy's just getting started, folks!"

She reared back and fired her second arrow. It hit the bullseye as well.

"Two for two!" shouted Allen. "Wow!"

The others tried to play catch up, but no one could quite match her. Izzy would tack on a third bullseye, and then, feeling she was far enough ahead of anyone else, she purposely missed the target completely with her final arrow.

It was not a complete loss for everyone in her round, though. Harold also got a bullseye of his own, helping his team's efforts to make the final.

[Round 3 Scores: Pink 38, Silver 37, White 31, Maple 31, Red 28]

* * *

"Well, Pink Team," Allen smiled at them, "I gave you an ultimatum, and you guys delivered! You won all three rounds, and scored 93 points altogether! Good job, guys."

Everyone applauded their efforts, especially Izzy's.

"Joining them in the finals is, with 80 points... the Silver Team!"

They also got a hearty round of applause.

"That leaves the White, Maple, and Red Teams. One of you finished in last place, and only if they had scored one more point, I would be putting two teams into the EC right now. But I'm only placing one. That team is... the Red Team."

Heather glared at Caitlin, as her inability to score even one point had put them in danger of going home.

"Red Team, we know you're in the EC. Whom will you be facing? We'll know once the final is done, and that's after this short break!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The final was set up and ready to go. The archers were going in order based on their individual scores from the preliminary round. That means up first was Chrissy for the Pink Team and Tyler for the Silver Team.

"Okay, archers! Go, go, go!"

Tyler and Chrissy were evenly matched in their face-off. If not for Chrissy missing the target twice, their scores would have been really close. To add insult to injury, Tyler ended his round with a bullseye.

"**WOO HOO! YEAH!**"

He jumped up in celebration and landed... on his bad leg. He went down to the ground immediately, clutching it.

"Ow ow **OW**!"

"You have to stop doing that!" snapped Jen, even as she came over to help Tyler up.

She and Harold helped their teammate to his feet. Once he was upright, Tyler loosened his grip on the bow so Jen could take it from him. On the other side, Chrissy had already passed off to Jude.

"After the first round, Silver has nearly doubled up Pink, 35-18. Jude, you got a lot of work to do to catch up!"

The two alliance partners were now up against each other, in a bid for immunity. Once they had gotten their arrows, it was go time.

"Archers ready? Begin!"

Jen and Jude started up pretty even in their match as well. Things changed when Jude landed a bullseye with his fourth arrow. Jen tried to do the same, but she ended up scoring only a '5.' He also outscored her on the last arrow, allowing him to cut into the Silver Team's lead.

"Okay, Jude won that round for his team, 37-29, but he and the Pink Team still trail with 55 to Silver's 64. It's going to be up to Izzy to make up the difference and for Harold to protect that lead."

Izzy and Harold took their places.

"Archers ready? And go!"

Everyone was expecting a high-scoring final round, but Izzy seemed out of focus, as her first arrow went flying over the target. Harold at least hit the target on his first shot, getting a '2.' Harold also won the second shot, getting 8 points to Izzy's 5. When the wind got a hold of Izzy's third arrow and blew it wide left of the target, that gave Harold the chance to end the match early.

"Harold can clinch victory with a 7 or higher," noted Allen.

Harold fired, and indeed got higher. He got an '8.' Jen and Tyler shouted in glee once they saw the arrow hit the target.

"And that's it! The score gap is now mathematically impossible to make up, so even with two arrows left, the challenge is over! Your winners, the Silver Team!"

Izzy lowered her head sadly as she trotted back over to her team, who consoled her. Meanwhile, the Silver Team was jumping up and down for joy. That is, until Tyler landed on his bad leg again... and promptly went down to the grass, favoring said leg.

* * *

A few minutes later, the Silver Team received their gold medals from Allen, albeit with Tyler sitting in a chair that had been brought out so he could be off of his aching leg.

"Congratulations, Silver Team! As today's winners, you each get a year's supply of Powerade, courtesy of Coca-Cola! You also will get a free bottle of Powerade delivered to each of you each morning you're still with us. In addition, you now get to pick one team to place in the EC. The Red Team is already in since they finished in last place, so you must pick a team to face them. Will it be the Maple Team, the White Team, or the Pink Team?"

Harold, Jen, and Tyler huddled to quickly discuss their options. None of what they were saying could be heard, but occasionally one of them stuck their heads out to look at someone, such as Izzy, or Johnny, or Duncan.

"Silver Team!" exclaimed Allen. "Break the huddle! I need to know which team will be putting into EC to face off against the Red Team?"

They broke the huddle, and Tyler leaned forward in his chair to announce his team's decision.

"We pick the White Team."

Duncan immediately scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. Jerks."

Neither Bridgette or Serena were surprised, but that did not mean they were happy about being put on the chopping block.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"You start flirting with one guy, and boom, up for elimination! I suppose being crap at archery has somethin' to do with it, too."_

"So, it's going to be Red Team versus White Team! Today's EC is a one-on-one challenge. Two archers. Three arrows. Highest total score keeps his or her team around for at least another day. Teams, pick the one person you trust to come through this challenge!"

Heather immediately stepped forward for her team without so much as a hint of a discussion between them. It was not as easy to decide who would represent the White Team.

"I should go," argued Duncan, "'cause I'm the only one of us who hit the target!"

"Oh, you'd like that!" fired back Bridgette. "Just so you can do bad on purpose and send us all home! I'm doing it!"

"How many times do I have to tell ya, I'm not tryin' to throw the game! News flash, Goldilocks, I think your blondeness is cutting off the air to your brain!"

"At least I have a brain!"

"Oh, you did **NOT** just go there!"

"Oh, yes, I **DID** just go there!"

Serena cut in. "Why don't I just go?"

"Don't even try it!" Duncan and Bridgette shouted at her in unison.

"You know what?" Allen grumbled as he walked over to them with a bow and a quiver of three arrows in hand. "The wind is picking up, and I don't like getting colds!"

He handed the items to Duncan, then stomped off. Duncan smirked.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Ah! Nice to see the host is on **MY** side."_

"Hurry up, sandbagger!"

Duncan frowned as he turned and headed towards the shooting area, as Bridgette chuckled softly. As everyone took their place in the stands, Heather and Duncan stood side-by-side, ready to duel with their bows and arrows.

"Only one of us is losing this," Heather declared, "and it's **NOT** gonna be me!"

"Says the most-hated 'Total Drama' champion in history," fired back Duncan.

The targets were set at the same distance as in the event, but this time, there were much higher stakes in play.

"Elimination Challenge... **GO!**"

Both archers pulled out their first arrow and set them up to fire. Heather let hers fly first, and it landed in the '7' ring. Duncan then shot his, and his hit the '8' right in the number. He then quickly drew his second arrow and fired, but this one was a little short of the first, landing in the '7.' Heather focused on the bullseye, but her shot was a small tad high, as the arrow landed on the upper half of the target, in the '8' ring. Now down to their last arrow, each of them got ready to shoot...

"It's down to the last arrow!" shouted Caitlin. "Oh, I can't look!"

She covered her eyes with her hands. Meanwhile, the two dueling archers let their arrows fly at the exact same time. Heather's looked as if it was going to hit low, while Duncan's was going high. But in the end, both arrows hit the target in the '5' ring.

"Two champions," Allen said as he stepped up to the archers, "with neither willing to back down! Both of you scored 20 points on three arrows, which means to settle this, we need to go to Sudden Death!"

Both of the targets were removed from play and one fresh, unused target was placed equidistant from where the other two had been.

"From this point on, we go one arrow and archer at a time! Highest score in the round wins it all! Duncan, since you scored higher than Heather in the preliminary round, you get to choose to shoot first or second."

Duncan smiled. "I think I'll go second."

"Fine by me!" Heather said back. "It's not like you're gonna pull a Robin Hood and split my arrow in two after me!"

Allen gave Heather a new arrow, and she stepped into place. She shot a glare at Duncan, as a nonverbal warning to not do anything funny, and then turned her attention back to the target.

She pulled back her bow, checked her aim mentally, and... let go.

The arrow landed just an inch or two outside and to the left of the bullseye.

"Nine points," Heather said with confidence. "Beat that, tough guy!"

Heather stepped aside and Duncan got into place. He was handed his arrow. The pressure was on for him. A '9' would force a second sudden death round, a bullseye wins it. Anything else, and he and his team were going home.

Duncan took a deep breath, ignoring Heather, who was quietly making faces at him, then pulled back the bowstring and... let the arrow fly.

It went right into the bullseye, dead center!

"**YEAH, BABY! THAT'S TALENT, LOSERS!**"

"And with a bullseye," formally declared Allen, "Duncan wins the EC, and thus, keeps his team alive!"

Caitlin started crying because her team had lost. Justin also cried, because he got splinters in his left hand from putting it down on piece of the wooden stand that was breaking apart. Heather just slammed her bow down on the ground.

Meanwhile, Duncan strutted over to Bridgette.

"I think you owe me an apology," he said to her.

"Huh?" she asked, as she leaned over the railing. "For what?"

"Oh ho, so you're gonna play it that way? Look, I'm not the one who's gonna be branded as the 'girl who falsely accused her own teammate of throwing challenges!' Seriously, if I really wanted to throw a challenge, we would've be sent home on the first day!"

Bridgette sighed. "I guess you're right, Duncan. Sorry I accused you of sabotage."

"Whatever, it's all good. Just don't do it again!"

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"So Duncan really wasn't trying to sabotage the team. I see that now. Man, I can't believe I acted the way I did. I suppose I'm still angry about... about... okay, what was I mad about in the first place?"_

* * *

"White Team, Duncan came through for you today. You guys are safe for at least one more day. Please rejoin the other teams."

Duncan, Bridgette, and Serena walked over to the others, getting high-fives and hugs in relief. Allen then turned to Heather, Justin, and Caitlin.

"Red Team, you've had a great run. There can only be one gold medalist in the end, and sadly, it won't be any of you. Time to skedaddle!"

"**NO!**"

Chrissy had grabbed everyone's attention, as she ran over and wrapped her arms around Justin.

"So not fair! We just started to get to know one another!"

Justin nodded in agreement. "There's so much more I want to learn about Chrissy! Have a heart, Allen!"

Meanwhile, Caitlin had gone over to Jen to give her a farewell hug. Jude also joined in.

"I'm sorry!" Caitlin cried. "I should've done better!"

"S'alright, bra," Jude comforted her. "We'll miss you!"

"Don't worry," Jen told her. "I'll get to the end, and then win it all for you! Okay?"

Heather just watched her teammates' dueling sappy displays and was just getting irritated seeing it all.

"Ugh! Stop acting like babies and leave with some dignity!"

Heather then showed them her example of dignity as she grabbed Justin and Caitlin by the ear and pulled them away from their friends and prospective girlfriend, respectively, towards the exit.

"Ear!" Justin hollered. "My ears aren't insured!"

"Stop!" shouted Caitlin. "That hurts!"

She let go of their ears, but continued to guide them off of the grounds. Once they were out of sight...

"We started with 32," Allen said to the remaining competitors. "Each of you now have a 1-in-12 shot of winning 'Fresh from Europe.' Tomorrow, another team's getting sent home. Rest those legs. You're gonna need 'em."

With that, the four teams departed Lord Cricket's Ground. Seven events down, six to go...

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"You had fun with us yesterday, right?" Ty asked.

_(An intriguing proposal...)_

"What do you say?" Johnny prompted. "Are you in?"

"C'mon, girl!" goaded Fin. "Surfers need to hang together, right?"

Bridgette was thinking hard about their offer.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Is it worth ditching one group of friends for another, just to get further in the competition?"_

_(...leads to a interesting decision...)_

"If you had to pick one girl as your partner for the rest of the game," asked Allen, "would it be Serena or Bridgette?"

"Oh, that's easy!"

Duncan pointed at...

_(...and you won't believe who gets sent home!)_

Tyler led the pack out of the banked turn, then suddenly lost control and fell off of his bike, wiping out as the others bore down fast on him from behind.

_(...on the next 'Fresh from Europe!')_

"That's it!" cried Chrissy. "It's over!"

She then threw her helmet down onto the pine floor.


	8. Bummer in Retrospect

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Just one thing to mention this week... had to put a minor spoiler for 'Total Drama: ROTI' in this one. Unless you've seen it already, though, you're not gonna know the reasoning for why it's mentioned unless you've seen the episode referenced in question. I have not, but have seen the clip of this said scene.

That being said... Episode 8!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"Guess who's the new Mister Popular? This guy!"_

"Well, first, Allen, I gotta watch out for my friends. So my first pick is Tyler."

"**YES!**" Tyler shouted.

"My second pick... is Jen."

"And with that, we have a new Silver Team!" Allen exclaimed.

"That means, newly-created Pink Team, you're gonna have to work harder than usual today to avoid being placed in the EC. In other words, you must finish first or second today! If you do not, you will be competing in the EC."

"No fair!" exclaimed Chrissy.

"Harsh, man," groaned Jude.

"Yes!" Ty shouted. "She's on board! Let's get this show on the road!"

"Like I said," Fin repeated, "us surfers gotta stick together."

"Red Team, you've had a great run. There can only be one gold medalist in the end, and sadly, it won't be any of you. Time to skedaddle!"

"Ugh! Stop acting like babies and leave with some dignity!"

Heather then showed them her example of dignity as she grabbed Justin and Caitlin by the ear and pulled them away from their friends and prospective girlfriend, respectively, towards the exit.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Eight - Bummer in Retrospect (06.25.12)**  
**-**

It had been a few hours since the challenge had ended, but Bridgette still felt dead tired afterwards. She was lying face down in her bed, trying to get some sleep. But to no avail.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Remember when I said earlier that I had forgotten why I've been acting angry since we got here? Well, I kinda remember now..."_

She heard a knock at the door. Serena came in and closed the door behind her. Bridgette moved so that her legs were dangling over the side of the bed, allowing Serena to sit down next to her.

"I was thinking," Serena said, "since we're teammates now, that we could have a little chat."

"Fair enough," agreed Bridgette. "What's on your mind?"

"I think the bigger question is what's on yours. If you don't mind me asking... you and Duncan don't exactly act like friends."

"It's complicated."

Bridgette quickly explained her association with Duncan.

"I see. He's the type to play by his own rules, huh?"

"Pretty much."

"But from what you've told me, Duncan's not the reason you've been so unpleasant around everyone."

Bridgette sighed. "It's Geoff."

"Geoff?"

"My boyfriend."

"Oh. Sad he's not competing?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I've been acting all crazy. Me and him... we're kinda taking time off from each other..."

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"I'm not really comfortable airing Geoff and I's 'dirty laundry.' Nobody really knows about it. Not even our parents!"_

"So afterwards, it was like, okay, we went there, now what? He started acting distant, I started being needy. Things got kinda strained. Then we had the trip to Wawanakwa to film the new season of 'Total Drama,' and Geoff blew up at Chris after I got blown up, and I blew up at him for blowing up at Chris, and he blew back at him..."

"So you blew up at each other?"

"I thought I made that pretty obvious. Anyway, I said we needed some time apart to figure out if we still wanted to be together."

"Whoa. I'm so sorry."

"I still wanna be with him, and I wholeheartedly believe he thinks the same way about me. But I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to jump back in."

"And you being angry at everyone?"

"Me shutting everyone out, 'cause I didn't want anyone to know about our troubles! Everyone knows me as the nice, sweet girl from down the street! I didn't want people to know about my problems! I was ashamed of it all. So I pushed everyone away the only way I knew how."

"So, why change your attitude now?"

"I guess I had finally gotten over what happened. And I realized that I shouldn't have taken it out on everyone else."

"So you're acting like the true you now?"

"Yep! Me and my semi-happy-go-lucky self!"

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Geoff, I still don't know what I'm going to say to you the next time I see you, my cutie-bear. But I do know one thing! That next time, I guarantee you'll have three-thousand and one reasons to want to get back together! Of course, the money's not the most important thing. Unless you want it to be?"_

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"Bridgette and I are teammates now. I know it seems odd that I'm quickly trying to become her friend and that's my ticket to keep in the competition. But can you blame me? I didn't come here to lose! I wanna win! And given how much everyone dislikes Duncan, the only way to keep us our team out of Elimination Challenges is for me to be more like Bridgette, and not Duncan."_

* * *

But Serena would not be the only person Bridgette would be opening up to today, as at a dinner in town with Ty, Fin, and Johnny a couple hours later, she was opening up to them as well.

"That's the saddest story I've ever heard," Johnny said, as he wiped away a tear, then tried to hide it from others.

"Aw, man," groaned Ty. "I feel for you."

"Yeah," nodded Fin. "First, there was you being unfairly targeted by the rogue hostess in Key West, and now this? We feel for you, girl."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Ty, Fin, and Johnny all looked uncomfortably at each other. At first, Bridgette thought it was because of her tale. But she quickly realized this was about something else.

It all started with an innocent question.

"You had fun with us yesterday, right?" Ty asked.

Bridgette knew how to answer, but she hesitated because she was not sure where she was being led.

"Yeah. Getting to relax and think about nothing but surfing for a couple hours? The best!"

Fin sighed, then cut to the chase.

"Don't hate us for this, but... me and the boys were thinking about forming an all-surfers alliance. We're calling it Hang Four! Y'know, 'cause there's four of us..."

"You mean **ALL** of us?"

The three 'Stoked' cast members nodded.

"But Johnny, you and I... we're in an alliance with Jen and Jude! Aren't we?"

"Yeah. But Ty and Fin are my friends, and co-workers. We gotta stick together."

"I dunno..."

Fin leaned in and wrapped her arm around Bridgette to pull her in next to her.

"Not to badmouth anyone, but you're better off with us than them. Jen and Jude don't get you like we do! Plus, you know Jen. Her way or the highway."

"In our alliance," Ty added, "we'll all have an equal say."

"What do you say?" Johnny prompted. "Are you in?"

"C'mon, girl!" goaded Fin. "Surfers need to hang together, right?"

Bridgette was thinking hard about their offer.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Is it worth ditching one group of friends for another, just to get further in the competition?"_

"Well, I do have you guys to thank for snapping me out of my funk. So... yes! I'll be in your alliance!"

"**YES!**" shouted Fin. "You won't regret it, Bridge, I promise!"

Johnny raised his glass of water in the air, and getting what he was hinting at, Ty, Fin, and Bridgette did the same.

"A toast! To the success of the Hang Four alliance!" exclaimed Johnny.

"Cheers!" shouted the others.

The four clanged their glasses together in joy.

* * *

The next day, around noon, the skies were cloudy and it was chilly once more. No rain had fallen yet on this day, although the threat for some precipitation was going to loom until nightfall. No matter, though, as the twelve remaining competitors walked from the Olympic Village to the nearby Velodrome, located next to the outdoor BMX track that they had competed on previously.

Once inside, they were greeted by the site of an indoor bicycle track with banking nearly all the way around, especially in the turns. They saw a few cyclists currently using the facility, going at hair-raising speeds around the track. Once they had finished, the competitors stepped onto the track and headed for the flat infield, where Allen was waiting.

"Good afternoon, folks! Who's ready for today's Olympic event?"

There was a mix of excitement and fear on the competitor's faces.

"Today, it's back on the bikes, but this time, on an indoor track! Welcome to the London Velodrome! Exciting, no?"

Harold spoke up to reply. "Um..."

"Before we get to today's event, though, we have an urgent matter to take care of."

The competitors looked around. The words 'urgent matter' did not sound like a good thing.

"Duncan!"

"Hey! You can't prove I smeared bangers on Harold's underwear."

"Ah ha!" exclaimed Harold. "That explains why it smells like breakfast down there."

"Ew," groaned his teammate, Jen, who took one step away from him.

"Yeah," Allen said, "not what this is about."

"Oh! Then... I didn't say nothing!"

"If you had to pick one girl as your partner for the rest of the game, would it be Serena or Bridgette?"

"Oh, that's easy!"

Bridgette sighed as Duncan pointed at...

"Serena."

"**WHAT?**" both girls yelled loudly.

"Jude," Allen looked his way. "Chrissy or Izzy? If you could pick one of them as your partner, which one would you choose?"

"**PICK ME!**" Izzy said, jumping up and down. "**PICK ME!**"

"No!" Chrissy exclaimed, waving her arms about. "Pick me!"

"Izzy was first, heh heh."

Fin was not liking what was going on. Speaking of which...

"I really hope this isn't going where I think it's going..."

"Nice for you to not wait for acknowledgement, Fin," Allen said as he faced her. "One guy as your partner for the rest of the game. Ty or Johnny?"

She did not even have to say a name. One sad look at Johnny told everyone the direction she was going.

"I saw that coming," commented Johnny, as he patted Ty on the back. "Good luck, man."

"And last, but certainly not least... Jen! Harold or Tyler? If you could choose between them as to whom you'd spend the rest of the game..."

"Tyler!" Jen cut in, not letting him finish. "Definitely Tyler!"

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"Even with a bum leg, Jen still picks Tyler over me? That's just not right!"_

Bridgette, Chrissy, Harold, and Johnny were now standing on either side of Allen.

"The good news, everyone, is that three-person teams, after one event, are gone! We're now down to pairs! For those of you who I asked to pick whom you might be with for the rest of the game... I hope you can live with your choices."

A quick glance among the four pairs noted no noticeable regrets from anyone. The odd four out, on the other hand, were pretty scared about their fate.

"Now, the bad news. We're sending some people home today."

Harold was not happy, Bridgette had a shocked look on her face, Johnny was already hanging his head in defeat, and Chrissy looked as if she was going to cry.

"The people going home today are..."

_[End Act One]_

* * *

"The people going home today are..."

The four at-risk players were getting nervous as Allen paused to draw out the tension a little bit. Then...

"...will be determined **AFTER** today's event! The four of you are still safe. For now."

The group breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps to deep in Harold's case, as a stain appeared on his pants near his crotch. Duncan was heard laughing in the background.

"Though I'm starting to regret it."

Allen snapped his fingers, and an intern ran out of the tunnel and onto the track. He was carrying four colored shirts. Two of them were yellow and the other two were black. Allen tossed one of the yellow ones to Harold, who pressed it against his 'trouble spot.'

"Yeah. You still have to wear that today. Just... just pick a girl to be your new partner."

His choices were Bridgette and Chrissy. Of course, given what just happened, Chrissy was visibly freaking out.

"Eew! I'm not teaming up with a pants-wetter!"

Bridgette rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Harold was in agreement with what had transpired, as he had wanted to pick Bridgette anyway.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"I could've come flat out and said I don't mind being partnered with Harold. Did you see how far he and Lindsay got in Vancouver? Better than Johnny, who's just... Johnny. Sorry, no offense, please forgive me!"_

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"Sigh... I'm used to it."_

Bridgette was given the other yellow shirt, while Johnny and Chrissy were handed the black shirts.

"Now that that matter's settled, please rejoin the other teams so I may explain today's Olympic event... the Keirin!"

"The what?" questioned Jude.

"There are several indoor track cycling events contested at the Summer Olympics. The Keirin is relatively new, as it first became a men's medal event at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Starting with the Games here in London, there is a matching women's medal event. The Keirin is the same distance regardless of gender. It is a sprint event that actually starts with the cyclists riding behind a pace biker for the first few laps. A Keirin at the Olympics is 2000 meters, or a mile and a quarter long. For this track, that equates to six times around the track.

"During the pace laps, each cyclist must stay in line behind the rider in front of them. Anyone who passes during this time will be disqualified. However, you can also be disqualified for not keeping up with the pack or holding up riders behind you. At around three laps to go, the pacer will pull off of the track. At that point, the race begins, and it's a sprint to the finish. Each rider will receive points based on your finishing position. You will get one point for winning, 2 for placing second, and continuing on all the way to 6 points for last place. There will be only two races: one for the girls and one for the boys. The team will the least number of points after the completion of both races will be the winners of this event. That team will pick one other team to go against whichever team finishes in last place, which in this case is the team with the highest number of points after the two races. Got it?

"In addition, the winning pair each takes home the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, which comes with Android 4.0 OS preinstalled along with numerous apps. As usual, you can enjoy that gem once you get home."

An enthusiastic round of applause came from the group after hearing that.

"Ladies, you're up first! Race safe, and good luck!"

* * *

The girls were outfitted with bicycles, helmets, and elbow and knee pads. The boys cheered them on from the infield, all with their gear on or near them as well. The girls were lined up behind the pace cyclist. Bridgette, sporting her new yellow colors, had drawn the pole, with Chrissy, Fin, Jen, Serena, and Izzy lined up.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I so have this belief that people still think I don't belong here. I've got to take advantage of this great draw and win today. Or at least finish near the front."_

"Pace lap begins on the horn," Allen announced.

With that, he blew the air horn to start the girls' race. The pace cyclist started pedaling, and the racers followed suit. Things started off easy, with the pace at 20 km/h, or around 12 mph. A nice, leisurely pace. After completing the first lap around, the pacer gradually increased his speed. Fin took a look over her shoulder, and saw Izzy getting a little antsy in the back.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Seriously, why did Izzy have to draw the last position? Watch... the second they let us loose, she runs over everyone. She's crazy enough to do it!"_

After another lap and a half, Bridgette stopped trying to keep up with the pace cyclist, who was still picking up speed. By the time the pacer reached the started of the frontstretch, where he was to pull off the track, Bridgette and the pack were only halfway through the banked turn. An official stood where the pacer had pulled to the inside, with a green flag in hand. The instant the front wheel of Bridgette's bike came off the turn and onto the lower-banked straightaway, the official waved the flag. The race was on.

Jen did not waste any time as she jumped out of line and passed Fin. The pack went into the first turn, sliding up the banking at around 30 mph. By the time they got out, Jen had completed the pass and was now in third, Serena was now on Fin's outside, and Izzy was riding right on Fin's back wheel.

"C'mon, Jen!" cheered Tyler.

Jen, still on the outside line, pedaled past Chrissy and was almost right alongside Bridgette as they passed the start/finish line. Behind them, things got crazy - as in Izzy - as the redhead turned to the outside of Serena and made it three wide going into the turn.

"They're so gonna wreck!" noted Duncan with a smirk.

"I can't look!" shouted Johnny, as he covered his eyes.

At the other end of the turn, Jen got ahead of Bridgette and then pulled down in front of her to take a solid hold of the lead. Behind Bridgette they were still three-wide, as Fin got caught behind the struggling Chrissy, who now had Serena outside of her, who still had Izzy on her outside. Into the turn they went again, with Izzy all the way up near the top of the banking and the barrier up there as well.

Allen stood at the line to ring the bell as the leaders crossed the line. Tyler and Jude were both seen cheering as Jen started opening up a gap between her and Bridgette.

"**YAAAAAHHHH!**"

Izzy was screaming like a banshee as she charged up to third place, looking like she wanted more. Serena had pulled in behind her, while Fin had gotten underneath a sliding Chrissy, who was now at the back. Izzy was closing in on Bridgette on the backstretch, but would she have enough time to pass her? There was no chance of her getting Jen, who had checked out on the field. So much so that Jen was a little surprised to see Bridgette and Izzy a couple seconds behind as she crossed the finish line.

"**ARRRRRRRG!**"

Izzy was yelling even louder as she pulled to Bridgette's outside and tried to get her at the line. It almost worked, as Bridgette was nearly scared out of her bike seat. But she managed to get her front wheel to the line just inches before Izzy, holding onto second place.

"Are you **CRAZY**?" asked Bridgette as she regained control.

Izzy either did not hear her or was not planning to respond, as she herself was displeased for not getting to Jen.

"So unfair! Izzy should've caught Jen!"

While Jen was breathing a sigh of relief for not having to deal with Izzy, Fin had managed to get around Serena to finish fourth. Chrissy was in disbelief as she crossed the line in last place.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I put everything I had into that race! How did I get passed by, like, everyone? Argh, it's so unfair!"_

After the race, Chrissy clearly showed her frustration.

"That's it!" cried Chrissy. "It's over!"

She then threw her helmet down onto the pine floor. Johnny, her new teammate, stopped prepping for his race and ran over to calm her down.

"Chrissy, are you okay?"

"Does it look like I'm okay? I'm **SO** not!"

As Chrissy voiced her complaints, albeit loudly, to Johnny, Jen and Fin could be heard commenting from afar.

"She's such a primadonna," noted Fin. "It's not our fault she blows."

"Be nice," Jen said in reply. "I mean, it's the truth, but she doesn't have to know that."

But Duncan was observing them, and he was not pleased.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"See, this is the problem with chicks. They badmouth each other behind their backs! Now, us guys..."_

* * *

Duncan kicked Harold's back wheel as he walked by with his bike.

"Hey! What's the deal?"

"You better hope those chicken legs of yours pedal fast, because if I catch you, that's what I'm going to do!"

"Gosh! That's such a foul!"

"So? What you gonna do about it? Huh? **HUH? BEAT ME!**"

The guys were lining up at the starting line behind the pace cyclist. Johnny had drawn the pole position, but was the last to get in line after having to calm down Chrissy. Tyler was second, then Jude, Harold, Ty, and Duncan.

_Confessional Cam - Harold_

_"Duncan starting last, able to run us all down in seconds? I swear, that's something that Chris McLean would do. Wait... are we sure he didn't secretly rig this draw somehow?"_

Allen blew the air horn, and the pace laps for the boys' race began. Again, the pace started out leisurely, around 12 mph. Harold seemed to be a little scared during the pace laps, as he was slow to start pedaling faster every time the pacer picked up a few mph. A gap was slightly opening up between Jude and Harold, and that was making both Ty and Duncan uneasy.

Up at the front, Johnny seemed to be mostly keeping up with the pace cyclist, staying only about a bike length behind. He was still that far back as the pacer pulled off to the inside of the track and the official waved the green flag. Tyler timed it perfectly as he got to the outside and sped past Johnny to take the lead before he knew it. After Jude, Harold finally picked up to race pace with Ty and Duncan matching him. The instant they were all past the official, Ty moved to Jude's outside to try and pass him. But the impatient Duncan went up the track at the same time, and he went to pass Ty.

"Watch out, Ty!" warned Fin. "Duncan, Duncan!"

The trio went into the first turn three wide, but upon seeing Ty already halfway past Harold, Duncan pulled in behind the surfer to try and take advantage of the draft. Up front, Tyler, like his teammate Jen, was already opening up a lead over second place, and he was ready to leave them all in the dust.

"Easy!" he exclaimed.

Tyler led the pack out of the banked turn, then suddenly lost control and fell off of his bike, wiping out as the others bore down fast on him from behind.

"Tyler!" Jen shouted. "Get up!"

"Whoa, **WHOA!**" screamed Johnny.

Johnny had to swerve way out of the racing line to avoid running over Tyler. Somehow, Jude races through at full speed without hitting either the downed Tyler or the off-balance Johnny, and Duncan, who had gotten by Ty after he had cleared Harold, followed right in his racing line.

"This isn't happening!" Chrissy cried. "This **SO** isn't happening!"

Johnny got back up to speed, but by that time he had also been passed by Ty, and Harold was coming up fast behind him. Tyler had finally gotten to his feet, and was hopping on one leg as he got his bike upright and tried to continue.

"Why does this keep happening to me? **OW!**" he shouted.

"Just get off the track!" shouted Jen.

Tyler had no choice but to. Allen was already ringing the bell to start the final lap as Jude and Duncan, in line, zoomed past on the outside to avoid the fallen cyclist.

"Get off my back, man!" shouted Jude as he was chased.

Duncan continued to stay right behind Jude on the backstretch. In the final turn, Jude slid up the banking. Duncan saw an opening and dived to the inside. Coming out of the turn, both were pedaling hard to the line. They were side-by-side as they crossed the stripe. It looked fairly close, but instantly after crossing the line, Duncan slammed his fist down on his handlebars.

"Damn it!"

He appeared to believe that he did not get by Jude in time. Jude himself was confused as to if he had won, as he looked around for confirmation. Their teammates, Serena and Izzy, also were unsure as to who won. A video replay would later show that Jude had indeed hung on for the victory, beating Duncan by less than a quarter of a wheel. After the replay was shown on the big screen, Izzy was seen celebrating. She ran over to Jude, jumped on him, and wrapped her legs around his stomach. He did not see it coming, though, and they fell backwards onto the infield floor, with his heading hitting first.

"I don't know if I should be stoked about my head hurting this much," commented Jude as Izzy sat on his stomach.

Another replay was needed to determine third place, as Johnny had somehow managed to get up to speed and get back around Ty, beating him to the line by about a full wheel. Harold was a distant, exhausted fifth, and Tyler did not finish the race, deciding not to rejoin after his crash.

Speaking of Tyler, he was again being seen to by the on-site medics, as Jen watched on with concern. And dismay.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Okay, picking Tyler over Harold? Can you say 'no-brainer turned worst decision ever?'"_

* * *

"Two great races," Allen commented, "but one great pair clearly dominated. With four points, the winning team today is... the Pink Team!"

Izzy again bounced around once more, but this time refrained from jumping onto Jude, who had a hand on his aching back.

"Jude and Izzy, as promised, you each win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, which you can enjoy after the competition!"

"Cool!" shouted Izzy, before adding. "What's a Galaxy Tab?"

"I dunno," shrugged Jude. "Sounds like some gnarly food thing."

"Oh, really? Izzy loves exotic food!"

Everyone else audibly groaned.

"Now, for the Elimination Challenge! The team that finished in last, with 9 points, is... the Black Team!"

Chrissy screamed in disgust.

"Even after I came back to finish third?" asked Johnny. "**STILL?**"

Allen turned to Jude and Izzy.

"Pink Team, you now have to choose who will be racing against the Black Team in the EC. Keep in mind that the losing team goes home."

The other four teams looked on with apprehension as Jude and Izzy examined their options.

"Whom will they pick?" asked Allen. "Find out, after the break!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"Decision time!" Allen exclaimed. "Pink Team, which team are you throwing into today's EC?"

Izzy grabbed Jude by the shoulders and pushed him forward.

"What? Why do I have to tell them?"

"'Cause Izzy doesn't want to be responsible for saying Harold and Bridgette are a threat and we're putting them up for elimination!"

Everyone gasped. Izzy slapped herself in forehead.

"Oopsie!"

"Man," said Johnny, leaning over to whisper to Chrissy, "and I thought I was bad at keeping secrets."

"So it's decided! Harold and Bridgette against Johnny and Chrissy! Competitors, the EC will run just like the event races. Three pace laps, then three race laps. The first team to have both of their team members cross the finish line guarantees another day here in jolly ol' England. The other team is going home. Competitors, get your helmets on, and let's get racing!"

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Well, the Hang Four alliance didn't last long, did it?"_

Meanwhile, the two double-alliance competitors were chatting as they headed back to their bikes.

"I'm sorry it's come to this," apologized Johnny. "I swear this was not the plan!"

"I believe you," said Bridgette in response. "Let's just go for it, and whatever happens, happens."

Chrissy suddenly cut in between the two.

"No consoling with the enemy!"

"Um," Johnny raised a finger up to correct her, "don't you mean consorting?"

"Whatever! All I know is that I'm getting back at her for throwing that pillow at me!"

"But that was last week!" Bridgette exclaimed. "And I apologized!"

"Whatever. All I know is that I came here expecting to be here all 16 days! You're **SO** not cutting my vaca short!"

With that, Chrissy pulled Johnny away to talk strategy. Harold walked up to Bridgette's side, a little confused after hearing Chrissy's declaration.

"She realizes this is a **17**-day competition, right?"

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"16, 17, like anyone's keeping count."_

* * *

Allen pressed the button on the air horn, setting it off. The pace biker started pedaling away, with the four EC participants following him out from the starting line. The other four teams were in the infield, cheering on whichever team they wanted to survive.

As in the girls' event race, Bridgette had drawn the pole position, and once more, she was leading at an easy pace, deciding not to keep up with the pacer, even as he gradually picked up speed around the track as they made laps. Johnny was riding right behind her, followed by Harold, and finally, Chrissy, as dictated by the random draw done off-screen prior to them taking the track.

"C'mon, ladies!" screeched Duncan. "We don't have all day!"

"Hey!" pointed out Serena. "That's not very nice."

"Ha! You don't know me that well, do you?"

Finally, the pace biker pulled off the track. Bridgette led the pack out of the banked turn heading to the start/finish line, and she immediately picked up the pace. The group passed the track official there, and the race was on. The others raced after her, with all of them staying in line in the first banked turn.

Once out of it, though, Johnny pulled out of line and started going for the lead. He got alongside Bridgette as they went into the next turn, and both of them were pedaling as hard as they could. But Johnny was a bit faster, and he managed to inch ahead. The racers got the two to go signal with Johnny in front, but not completely clear of Bridgette, as her front wheel was running parallel to Johnny's back wheel. Behind them, Harold and Chrissy had fallen back a couple bike lengths. Unable to keep up, it seemed the two of them were setting the stage for a one-on-one duel for survival.

Up ahead, Johnny cleared Bridgette on the backstretch. Bridgette kept her focus as she trailed Johnny, waiting for an opportunity to take back the lead. But none had come by the time they got back to the start/finish, as Allen rang the bell to signify the start of the final lap. Behind them, Chrissy was seen backing off Harold's back wheel momentarily...

"Is she giving up?" Fin asked aloud.

Far from it, as she suddenly pedaled twice as hard as before, getting to Harold's outside and passing him on the frontstretch before he even knew it. She cleared him going into the second-to-last turn. The cheering got louder as the riders completed the final lap. Coming to the finish, Bridgette tried to do the same thing Chrissy had done, attempting to slingshot to victory. But she waited too late. She got on Johnny's outside, but ran out of track before she could complete the move. Not that who finished first and second mattered...

Both Johnny and Bridgette started slowing down as they looked behind them to see who would finish the all-important third. Harold's face was red as he pedaled with all his might, but Chrissy was still pulling away from him. She crossed the finish line roughly three full bike lengths ahead of Harold, placing third, but more importantly, ensuring her and Johnny spots in the final ten.

Most of the others were seen acting favorably to the result, except for Jen, Jude, Ty, and Fin, all of whom were disappointed in losing a strong alliance member.

Despite that, they all still congratulated Johnny and Chrissy once they got off their bikes. Meanwhile, Bridgette, after getting off of her bike, waited for an exhausted Harold to stop by her. Too out of breath to say anything, Bridgette just leaned in and gave him a comforting hug.

"You did your best," Bridgette told him.

Harold nodded in appreciation of her thankful demeanor, despite the reality they were facing.

They were going home.

* * *

A few minutes later...

"Good job, Black Team," Allen congratulated the winners. "Underdogs staying alive! You may rejoin the others."

With that, Johnny and Chrissy left Allen's side and joined the other survivors, which now numbered just ten. Allen then turned his attention to Harold and Bridgette.

"Sadly, Yellow Team, this is it for you. You've done well to make it this far. Unfortunately, there are two plane tickets with your names on it waiting for you. Time for you to go."

"Farewell, friends," Harold waved goodbye to the others. "Oh, and Duncan."

"Pfft. Smell ya later, nerd!"

He walked over to Tyler, giving him a fist bump in thanks.

"Get Duncan out," he whispered to Tyler.

"I'll do my best," Tyler whispered back.

Bridgette hugged pretty much everyone except for Duncan. The last two she got to were Ty and Fin.

"Sorry I let you guys down," Bridgette said to them.

"You did go," Ty told her. "You'll get 'em next time."

"So much for getting to talk surfing girl-to-girl," cried Fin. "I'm gonna miss you!"

"I'm gonna miss you, too!"

Having finished her goodbyes, Bridgette joined Harold, and the two walked out of the Velodrome side-by-side, with their heads held high. Once the pair exited the building and stepped into the cold, drizzly conditions outside, Allen started talking to the five remaining pairs.

"And then there were ten. Incredible job for making it two-thirds of the way through the competition, guys and gals. One of you is just a week of events away from being $300,000 richer and being named Fresh TV's unofficial representative at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Head back, and I'll see you all at the next event."

The ten remaining competitors filed out.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"I'll admit," Fin stated proudly, "I'm surprised at a couple people that are still here."

"You don't mean me, do you?" asked Johnny.

Fin hesitated to give a response.

_(A feeling of insecurity sweeps over the cast...)_

"Izzy doesn't know if Izzy can trust you."

Tyler interjected. "You kinda owe us."

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"It's plainly obvious I have no friends here."_

Jen had pulled Chrissy aside.

"Johnny told you who to vote for if you guys somehow win today, right?"

"As long as it's not me, I'll vote however you want."

_(And a pair thought to be in their element, isn't...)_

"Left, right, left!" Ty screamed.

"Right, left, right!" countered Fin.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Hate to get colorful, but Fin is being a bitch today."_

_(...on the next 'Fresh from Europe!')_

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Oh, they're going home! I'll make sure of it!"_


	9. Row Your Boat Round and Round

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

So, back to a shorter episode this week. Still a lot to see, and a couple more competitors get sent home.

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"You had fun with us yesterday, right?" Ty asked.

"...me and the boys were thinking about forming an all-surfers alliance. We're calling it Hang Four!"

"What do you say?" Johnny prompted. "Are you in?"

"C'mon, girl!" goaded Fin. "Surfers need to hang together, right?"

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Is it worth ditching one group of friends for another, just to get further in the competition?"_

"I'll be in your alliance!"

"A toast! To the success of the Hang Four alliance!" exclaimed Johnny.

"Serena."

"**WHAT?**" both Serena and Bridgette yelled loudly.

Bridgette was given the other yellow shirt, while Johnny and Chrissy were handed the black shirts.

Tyler led the pack out of the banked turn, then suddenly lost control and fell off of his bike, wiping out as the others bore down fast on him from behind.

"Tyler!" Jen shouted. "Get up!"

"Harold and Bridgette against Johnny and Chrissy!"

Chrissy crossed the finish line roughly three full bike lengths ahead of Harold, placing third.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Well, the Hang Four alliance didn't last long, did it?"_

Having finished her goodbyes, Bridgette joined Harold, and the two walked out of the Velodrome side-by-side, with their heads held high.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Nine - Row Your Boat Round and Round (07.02.12)**  
**-**

Morning had come, and things were kind of blustery outside once more. The effects of the most recent elimination were lingering over the heads of the remaining competitors. In particular, the three remaining members of the Hang Four alliance.

"Man," groaned Fin. "I still can't believe it! I finally got a chance to team up with my idol... and she gets sent home the next day!"

"Sorry," Johnny spoke up, apologizing.

"It's not your fault, dude," Ty told him.

"Yeah," Fin said. "You did what you had to do."

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Okay, in all fairness, I wish Johnny had gone home instead. I wish anyone but Bridgette had gone home! Ugh... can you tell how much I'm bummed about yesterday?"_

"We should find someone to take her place," Ty suggested. "There's only the three of us to Jen and her group."

"Agreed," said Fin. "But definitely not Duncan. He's a class-A kook."

Johnny agreed. "No argument there."

"Jen has Jude and Tyler on her side. And Izzy, I believe. We've already thrown out Duncan, so that leaves... Serena and, ugh, Chrissy."

"Not much to choose from," noted Johnny.

"I'll admit, I'm surprised at a couple people that are still here."

"You don't mean me, do you?" asked Johnny.

Fin hesitated to give a response.

"You **DO** mean me!"

"Johnny, that's not important right now."

"You being shocked I'm still here is not important?"

"Yeah."

Johnny turned to Ty. "You don't think that, right Ty?"

"Leave me out of this," Ty responded, not wanting to get involved.

"Just drop it, Johnny," Fin grumbled. "We can talk about you later. Right now, we need to figure out who we want in our alliance."

"Fine. Then I suggest Serena. She's kinda cool."

"I dunno. Something about her sounds off. I don't trust her."

"What about Chrissy?" questioned Ty. "She was a pretty good team player."

"And pretty pretty," added Johnny.

"I'm not sure of her either," Fin thought aloud. "She's not exactly gifted up there, if you know what I mean."

"Well, we have to pick someone if our alliance is to survive."

* * *

Meanwhile, contrary to what Fin believed, Izzy was not allied with Jen, Jude, and Tyler. At least, not yet.

"Izzy doesn't know if Izzy can trust you."

Tyler interjected. "You kinda owe us."

"And you can totally trust us, bra!" Jude exclaimed. "Final five! The two of us, Johnny, you, and Jen! Think about it!"

"It would be sweet to get to the final four for once," Izzy admitted. "Though Izzy is not sure Izzy would be on board unless Izzy's sure Jen is on board."

"Oh, she's on board," Tyler reassured her. "She wish she could be here, but she's courting our Plan B. Whatever that means."

* * *

Elsewhere, Jen had pulled Chrissy aside.

"Johnny told you who to vote for if you guys somehow win today, right?"

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Chrissy's not exactly my idea of a good person to be in an alliance with, but since she's Johnny's teammate, it would be nice to have her available to make sure things play out to our advantage."_

"Yes. Johnny said that you guys are going after Duncan and Serena."

"Are you okay with that?"

"As long as it's not me, I'll vote however you want."

"Good."

Jen started to walk away. But Chrissy was not going to let her go without asking a question.

"So, if I do this, you'll, like, let me join your alliance. Right?"

Jen stopped to think about it for a second, then continued walking. The response had left Chrissy confused.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Oh, I, like, so think she wants me in her alliance."_

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Oh, she can join. **WHEN PIGS FLY!**"_

Jen went out onto the balcony of her apartment and scanned for flying pigs. After a minute had passed with none appearing...

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"So. Yeah. Pigs."_

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The morning after the rest day, the ten remaining competitors stepped outside of their apartment building and onto the bus. They were greeted by temperatures in the high 50s on this morning, the warmest start to a competition day yet. That would be good, as they were heading to the outskirts of the city, to Eton Dorney, which was to be the home of all the open-water rowing events for the Games.

And rowing was exactly what the group was competing in today, as they met Allen on the shore of Dorney Lake.

"Good morning!" greeted Allen.

"Morning," the others said back, in some shape or form.

"You're on the grounds of Eton College, a boarding school for boys right around your age. Their Rowing Centre will play host to the rowing and open-canoeing events for the Olympics this summer. Today, you will be participating in the Double Scull event."

Allen pointed out to the docks, where five long, narrow boats were anchored. Each boat had seating for two, and rigging on either side of both seats to hold an oar.

"In the double sculls rowing event, each of the two rowers will have a pair of oars, one on each side. Teammates must work in unison to row their way down to the other end of the lake, and do so faster than their competitors. In the Olympics, the distance contested for this event is 2000 meters. For you guys, though, it'll only be 1500 meters, so roughly just under a mile per run.

"There will be a total of three races, plus the Elimination Challenge. All five teams will participate in the first race, the qualifying heat. The first two boats to reach the finish advance to the final round. The other three boats will have to compete in what is called a repechage. In that second race, there are two spots to take note of. The winner of that race moves on to the final. The last boat to cross the finish will automatically be placed in the EC, and will have to face against one other pair, to be named by the team that wins the three-boat final. Got it?"

Much of the group was genuinely excited about the event, especially Tyler, who was happy to compete in another event that did not put his already aching legs into further danger of getting critically injured.

"In addition to choosing the second participant team for the EC, the team that wins the final also wins today's prize... a GE Energy Star 25.9 cubic-foot combination refrigerator and freezer! I know it doesn't sound like the best prize, but hey, you can bring something home that your whole family will enjoy and use often."

Unfortunately, no one was impressed by that offer.

"Hey, the Games have sponsors, and we have to make them happy. You don't want it, don't win. Okay? Anyway, we'll do a random draw for lane assignments for the first race, and we'll get started."

* * *

Soon afterwards, all five teams had chosen boats and were in the water and at the starting line, ready to go. Five lanes, each with a row of small buoys separating them, had been set out along the course. The random draw had placed Ty and Fin in Lane One, Johnny and Chrissy in Lane Two, Jude and Izzy in Lane Three, Duncan and Serena in Lane Four, and Tyler and Jen in Lane Five. Allen was waiting for them in a boat at the finish line, while an official was responsible for starting the race.

"Ready?"

Things went silent as the rowers got into the ready position. A few seconds later...

**BANG!**

The race began, and all five teams started out rowing hard. The Pink Team of Jude and Izzy had the strongest start of them all, trying to leave everyone else eating their waves from the get-go.

"Can't catch us!" shouted Izzy.

The other teams tried to keep up, perhaps going a bit faster earlier than they would like. But one team fell off the pace quickly.

"Left, right, left!" Ty screamed.

"Right, left, right!" countered Fin.

"It's left, right, left!"

"No, right, left, right!"

The two argued, their paddling uneven and uncoordinated as they started to lose touch with the rest of the field. Up ahead, the Pink Team was still in first as the teams reached the first timing split at 500 meters in, or 1000 meters to go, with a time of 1:38.70. Directly to their left was the White Team, 1.3 seconds behind, followed closely by the Silver and Black Teams.

Not soon after, though, Jude and Izzy showed they had indeed gotten out too fast, and they were passed by the White and Silver Teams. Unlike them, though the pairs of Duncan and Serena and Tyler and Jen were able to keep close to the starting pace. The two boats were still neck-and-neck at the second timing split - at 500 meters to go - with a time around 3:26. The Black Team - Johnny and Chrissy - had moved into third since last check. They were 2.5 seconds behind the two leading boats, but were starting to close.

Meanwhile, more troubles for the Maple Team...

"Together!" shouted Ty. "Together!"

"I am! You're the one not together! Stop slacking!"

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Hate to get colorful, but Fin is being a bitch today. And her telling me to stop slacking? She's the one who still hasn't figured out how to row!"_

Eventually, Fin was seen looking over her shoulder at Ty to see how he was doing it. But by this point they were 10 seconds back of the lead and already thinking about having to be in the repechage.

Back up front, the two lead boats had eased up a little to size up the field, allowing the Black Team to catch up.

"Let's show 'em who's the boss!" shouted Tyler, at Jen.

The pair picked the pace up to see if anyone could keep up. Johnny and Chrissy were up to the task and they matched Tyler and Jen stroke for stroke. Duncan and Serena, though, could not will themselves to keep pace.

"We can do it!" exclaimed Johnny. "Don't give up!"

"We're so winning this!" shouted Chrissy.

Johnny and Chrissy somehow found another gear and not only took the lead away from Tyler and Jen, but they were pulling away as well. Allen was surprised as the Black Team reached the finish line first, with a time of 5:22.21. Tyler and Jen secured the other automatic transfer spot to the final, coming across at 5:25.37.

"We won! **WE WON!**" Johnny yelled.

"I can't believe it!" Chrissy said happily. "We might actually win an event!"

But Tyler and Jen were not worried, even as they congratulated the winning team while still in the water.

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"I'm surprised we lost to those two, of all people. But Jen and I aren't worried. That was just to get into the final. We'll win when it counts."_

* * *

Half an hour later, the third- through fifth-place teams were back at the starting line for the repechage.

"We're getting into that final!" declared Izzy as she and Jude got settled in Lane Two.

Serena was trying to get in the right mindset as she and Duncan steered their boat into Lane Three.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"We have to make this final and contend for the win. Otherwise, I'm certain either Jen and Jude or Johnny and Chrissy are going to put us in the EC."_

In Lane Four, Ty and Fin were just trying to figure out how to be competitive.

"So," Ty told Fin, "like Johnny said, we have to row as one."

"I know, I know!" she said, assuring him that she had gotten the hint.

The starting official was ready to begin the race.

"Ready?"

The rowers got into the ready position, and...

**BANG!**

The three boats went on their way. The first to finish was going to snag the last spot in the final, the last there would be in the EC for sure. As in the first race, Jude and Izzy took the early lead. At the finish, the Black and Silver Teams were watching the big screen while on the boat with Allen.

"They're going out fast again," noted Johnny.

"You think they'll hang on this time?" asked Tyler.

The Black Team rowed hard to keep up, while the Maple Team... well...

"Even, Fin! Even!"

"**I AM!**"

But it was clearly obvious Fin was not rowing both of her oars in unison, and they were once again losing ground to the other boats. At the 500 meter mark, the Pink Team had a 1:39.38 split, about seven-tenths of a second slower than in the first race. The White Team had a split of 1:39.91, a tenth faster than in the earlier run.

"Faster!" Izzy barked. "**FASTER!**"

"I'm giving it all I've got, bra!" Jude told her.

Both boats kept up their fast pace, and at 1000 meters down, the Pink Team was still in the lead, clocking a 3:25.68. That was seven-tenths faster than the leader at this point in the first race, and almost five seconds faster than their split in that heat. The White Team had lost some ground and was now 1.4 seconds back, though very much in striking distance.

"I can't believe they're still going at this pace!" remarked Serena.

"If you have time to yap, you're not rowing hard enough!" Duncan shouted at her. "Let's go!"

Duncan and Serena rowed with all of their might, determined to make the final. They started closing in on Jude and Izzy, who had anguished looks on their faces as their arms were really starting to burn at this point. At the last 50 meters, the two boats were even. The White Team made one last push, and they got their boat ahead at the line, finishing with a time of 5:18.45.

"No way!" Chrissy exclaimed in disbelief. "That's, like, four seconds faster than us!"

The Pink Team finished with a time of 5:19.09.

"Izzy's ready to sleep now!" remarked an exhausted Izzy.

Jude could only nod as he let go of his paddles and leaned forward, trying to stretch his arms. Almost 40 seconds later, Ty and Fin finally rowed over the finish. The two looked at each other, still befuddled as to what to do, as they now knew they were going to be in the EC.

"We seriously need to figure this out," Fin said aloud. "Or there's no doubt we're going home today."

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"The only one who has to figure this out is Fin. She's good at so many sports, yet she doesn't know how to row a boat?"_

* * *

As the Maple Team attempted to get things straightened out, it was time for the final. Ty and Fin intended to watch the race to see the proper technique, while Jude and Izzy had actually fallen asleep on the boat due to exhaustion, with both of them lying on the deck.

At the starting line, the Silver Team had been drawn into Lane Two, the preliminary round winners - the Black Team - were in Lane Three, and the repechage winners - the White Team - were in Lane Four.

"Ready?"

The teams got in position...

**BANG!**

The final began, and all three teams started rowing away from the line. Unlike the first two races, though, without Jude and Izzy going all-out from the start, the three competing teams started at a slower, but much more comfortable pace. Each team seemed to be looking over constantly at the other two teams over the first 500 meters, with no one willing to make the first move.

The Black Team got to the split first, in 1:47.19, but less than a second and a half separated them from the White Team in third.

"Oh, screw this!" grumbled Duncan. "Let's toast them!"

Serena nodded as the two picked up the pace. The White Team went to the front. But the moment they did, the other two teams picked up the pace to match them. A few hundred meters later, the White Team repeated the maneuver once more.

"C'mon, Jen!" Tyler shouted as he started rowing fast.

"On it!" Jen said, matching her teammate's pace increase.

At the 1000 meter mark, the White Team was up a second, on the other two boats, who were neck and neck. Duncan and Serena were visibly tired as they tried to stay in front. Johnny and Chrissy were also showing signs of exhaustion as well.

"Go time?" Tyler asked his teammate.

"Oh, yeah!" Jen said with a smile. "Go time!"

The Silver Team made their move, going all out for the push to the finish. They not only quickly got to the front, but they were pulling away rapidly.

"Keep going!" Jen shouted. "Don't let up!"

And they did not. Neither of the other teams had a response, and Tyler and Jen were going to win the race and the event easily. They kept going full blast until the passed the finish line, looking over at Allen to make the call.

"Silver Team wins!"

Jen leaned backward to shake her teammate's hand in congratulations.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Okay, so 'no-brainer turned worst decision ever turned no-brainer' again! As long as the next event doesn't involve using our legs or is the merge, I think I'm in pretty good shape to win it all. Woo!"_

The final margin of victory would be 10.7 seconds, as the White Team would finish second, and the Black Team in last.

* * *

Later, on the docks...

"Silver Team, congratulations! Tyler and Jen, you two are today's winners, which means you each take home a brand-new refrigerator, courtesy of GE. You also now get an opportunity to select a team to put into the EC."

Eyes first went to the Maple Team, and then the other three teams.

"Maple Team, by finishing in last in the repechage, we know you're already in the EC. Silver Team, you guys must now pick one of the other three teams to take them on for the right to stay in this competition."

Johnny and Chrissy seemed nervous about the decision Tyler and Jen were about to make.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Jen made a promise! I'm so gonna make sure everyone turns on her back at home if she goes against her word and puts me in the EC. Oh, and Johnny too, I guess."_

Tyler and Jen huddled to discuss whom to pick.

"One team is already in the EC," remarked Allen. "Which other team will join them? Find out who the unlucky saps are, after the break!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"Decision time, Silver Team. Which team is going into the EC?"

Jen took a deep breath and exhaled it before revealing her and Tyler's decision.

"Tyler and I made a promise to another team before the challenge..."

The Black Team was seen holding their breath in fear.

"...and we're going to keep that promise. Allen, we're putting the White Team in the EC."

Chrissy exhaled in relief. Johnny, though, had been holding a bit too long, and he ended up fainting on the spot. Serena shook her head unhappily, having already predicted this coming, while Duncan just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

_Confessional Cam - Serena_

_"It's plainly obvious I have no friends here. That, and being teamed with someone as universally hated as Duncan, it's not a surprise that we're in the EC. Again!"_

"White Team, you're up against the Maple Team in today's EC. The EC will be a 500 meter sprint race. First team to reach the finish line wins and makes the Elite Eight. The other team... is going home."

Duncan and Serena stared at their opponents, Ty and Fin, and the Maple Team stared back.

_Confessional Cam - Duncan_

_"Oh, they're going home! I'll make sure of it!"_

* * *

The Silver, Pink, and Black Teams were aboard a motorboat that was floating at the finish line, along with Allen. The two competing boats were at the starting line 500 meters away, ready to go. The Maple Team was in Lane 2, while the White Team was in Lane 3.

"Oh, you surfers are going down!" exclaimed Duncan.

"In your dreams, kook!" fired back Fin.

With their backs to the starter and the finish, both teams placed their paddles at the ready. All went quiet as they waited for the command...

"Ready?" asked the starter.

A few seconds passed. The Maple Team put their paddles in the water and began a stroke, inching forward... and then the starting pistol went off...

**BANG!**

"Jump!" Serena shouted, noticing the back of Maple Team's boat move before the gun.

**BANG!**

She was right, as the starter shot off the pistol again, only a second after the first shot. The Maple Team stopped rowing.

"What?" argued Fin. "That wasn't a jump!"

"We timed that perfectly!" exclaimed Ty.

"No, you didn't!" Duncan shouted.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"We thought we did time that perfectly. I mean, treeing the starting gun is the only way we're gonna beat them. We have to risk it."_

At the finish line...

"Aw man, they jumped?" Tyler asked aloud, seeking confirmation.

Jen nodded. "Next jump is a DQ. C'mon, Maple Team."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Athletically, Ty and Fin are my biggest competition. Still, I'd rather see them stick around one more day instead of Duncan, who's long overstayed his welcome."_

The boats were reset at the starting line.

"You can jump as many times as you want," said Duncan with a grin on his face. "You're still not gonna outrow us."

"Hey!" Serena shouted at Duncan. "Stop trying to rile them up!"

Fin and Ty were ignoring Duncan's taunts as the former whispered to the latter.

"Another jump and we're out. Just row for your life the second the gun goes off."

Back in position, the starter readied them...

"Ready?"

Again, they waited out the gun. This time, the Maple Team did not dare move their paddles early.

**BANG!**

Both times started rowing down the lake. Both boats quickly got up to full speed, and now it was basically down to had the power to make big strokes, and had enough energy left in the tank to do it for 500 meters.

"Stroke!" shouted Ty. "Stroke!"

"Come on!" grunted Duncan. "Stroke!"

Both teams were giving it their all, but for some reason, it looked as if Ty and Fin had more energy left, as their boat started to pull ahead. At the 250 meters to go mark, they were leading by half a boat length.

"Ugh!" grunted Serena. "Come on!"

The lead grew to three-quarters of a boat length at 150 meters left. Then, as both teams could start hearing the others cheering them on from the finish line, things changed. Ty and Fin were beginning to ease up, and the gap started closing.

"Come on!" groaned Ty.

"Pain is worth it," Fin grumbled. "Pain is worth it!"

The difference was back down to half a boat at 80 meters to go. Down to a quarter at 30 meters. Duncan and Serena were reeling Ty and Fin in. The shouts were loud as both teams pushed to the finish. Allen waved the checkered flag as both boats crossed the line.

"**OH!**" Allen shouted. "Too close to call!"

Even though Allen was not ready to make a call, some of the others did.

"Ty and Fin were first!" shouted Jen.

"Izzy thinks Duncan and Serena caught them!" argued Izzy.

And the racers themselves had decided as well.

"Ha!" Duncan pointed at the Maple Team. "Told you we'd win!"

"No way!" exclaimed Fin. "We crossed first!"

"We totally were first!" added Ty. "I know we were!"

"Sounds like loser talk from the losers!" Duncan shot back.

On the other side of the finish line from Allen and the three teams on the boat, the boat responsible for running the electronic timer, which displayed 1:44.57, by the way, seemed to be signaling a winner, as one of the officials held up two fingers.

"Officials say Lane Two is the winner! Maple Team survives!"

Ty and Fin high-five each other, while Duncan was not pleased.

"No way! I know we finished first! Right?"

He looked at Serena, who had lowered her head in defeat already.

"Oh, come on! We won!"

Serena shook her head. She seemed accepting of the result. Over with the other teams, they all appeared to be pleased with the result.

* * *

A little while later, back on the shore, Allen and the others gathered around the camera crew as a video monitor had been set up to replay the finish. It showed that the White Team's boat was going faster than the Maple Team's and had passed them, but in slow-mo, it was obvious that the bow of Maple Team's boat got to the finish line just inches before the White Team's did.

"Unbelievable!" Duncan growled as he stormed off afterwards. "**[BEEP]!**"

Duncan walked off, angry with the result. His teammate, Serena, did not take to his reaction kindly.

"Some guy he is. Man up!"

It took a few minutes of brooding and kicking pebbles into the lake and kicking a couple nearby tree trunks and sign posts before Duncan calmed down long enough to walk back to the others and participate in the 'result' ceremony.

"After looking at the tape, replay confirmed the result as originally given by the electronic timer. Maple Team, you have won the EC, and are still in the game. Ty and Fin, you may rejoin the others.

Ty and Fin walked over to Chrissy, Izzy, Jen, Johnny, Jude, and Tyler on the 'safe' side. Allen then turned to Duncan and Serena.

"White Team, good effort, but unfortunately, just not good enough. Your time in London is up. Time for you to depart."

"Good!" Duncan grumbled. "Didn't wanna be here anymore anyway! **[BEEP]** you all!"

He gave everyone the middle finger before walking off. Serena groaned in disgust.

"What a baby."

She sighed, then turned to the others.

"Sorry about Duncan," she apologized.

"You don't have to apologize for him," Jen said as she came up to hug her goodbye. "Sorry it has to go down like this."

Serena got hugs from everyone but Chrissy, who did not care much for her departure. Serena waved goodbye, then followed her cantankerous teammate to the parking lot. Once they were both out of sight, Allen turned to the four remaining teams.

"We're at the point in the competition where you've all come too far to lose, and some will take coming up short harder than others. But now there are only eight of you left, and you are all one step closer to total victory. What challenges await you in the final days of this competition? Well, I'm surely not telling. Have a safe trip back to the Village, and I'll see the eight of you tomorrow."

The four pairs did as they were told, making their way to the parking lot for the bus ride back to downtown London.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"A toast!" Fin proclaimed. "To Duncan's demise!"

All eight of them raised their glass in celebration.

_(All's happy in London... or is it?)_

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I'm stuck between a rock and... another rock! How do I decide which alliance to stay with?"_

"Right now," Jen told Jude and Tyler, "if we can't get Chrissy, that forces a deadlock. And I don't like deadlocks."

_(But that's not even the biggest problem...)_

Ripper smiled, Heather smirked, and Caitlin squealed as Allen made the announcement.

"...two of them could earn a second chance at $300,000."

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"That's so not fair!"_

Johnny mumbled as he sat on the bench with his face in a towel.

"This can't be happening!"

Wipeout leaped into the air with both hands on the ball and he jammed it home.

"Who says blue whales can't jump?" chuckled Harold.

A whistle was blown as Jen pushed past by a stationary Serena at the top of the key.

"That's **NOT** charging!" Jen argued with the referee.

_(...and you won't believe how this one ends!)_

"...you're going to have to save one of them," Allen said aloud.

Izzy chewed on her fingernails as Chrissy closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.

_(...on the next 'Fresh from Europe!')_


	10. Second Chances

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Can you believe it? Only two weeks until the finale? The field has finally thinned to the single digits, but the remaining competitors are about to get a huge curveball. Or the basketball equivalent of it, anyway.

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"We need to figure out who we want in our alliance."

"So, if I do this, you'll, like, let me join your alliance. Right?"

Jen stopped to think about it for a second.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Oh, I, like, so think she wants me in her alliance."_

"Silver Team wins!"

Jen leaned backward to shake her teammate's hand in congratulations.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"As long as the next event doesn't involve using our legs or is the merge, I think I'm in pretty good shape to win it all."_

"You better hope we don't get a chance at revenge!" boasted Ripper.

"Good!" Duncan grumbled. "Didn't wanna be here anymore anyway! **[BEEP]** you all!"

Serena got hugs from everyone but Chrissy, who did not care much for her departure. Serena waved goodbye, then followed her cantankerous teammate to the parking lot.

"Now there are only eight of you left, and you are all one step closer to total victory."

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe**  
**Episode Ten - Second Chances (07.19.12)**  
**-**

That evening, the eight remaining competitors returned to find that all of their stuff had been moved. All the girls were now together in one apartment, and all the boys into a second. They would have time to sort out who would be rooming with whom later, as now they were all gathered in the guys' apartment, holding up glasses full of either water, juice, or sports drink as they all stood in the kitchen.

"A toast!" Fin proclaimed. "To Duncan's demise!"

All eight of them raised their glass in celebration. Some of them then sipped some of their drink away.

"So glad he's gone, man," noted Jude. "Duncan was such a bummer, man."

"I hear ya," agreed Ty.

"Not to mention a kook," added Fin.

"And a bad dresser," exclaimed Chrissy. "A skull on his shirt? He's so not punk."

"Ha! I bet you don't even know what punk is, Chrissy!"

"All that matters is he's so out of here!"

"I hear that!" Jen shouted.

The group toasted once more, happy to be rid of a nuisance.

But despite everyone being in celebratory mood, some of the remaining competitors had an ulterior motive for having gathered them all in one room. Jen was one of them, as she walked over to Chrissy, who was staring out the glass of the closed balcony door.

"Say, Chrissy? Have a minute?"

Chrissy turned and nodded in acknowledgement.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I'm so glad to be in the final eight. But as happy as I am, I can't help but think everyone's starting to notice how great I am at playing this game! Like, I thought that'd be a good thing, but..."_

"So, you decided that you want me in your alliance?"

Jen began to answer. "Well..."

"Because, like, since we last spoke, I've had other offers. I, like, want to make sure I'm so making the right choice."

"Other offers?"

Jen seemed a bit stunned by that declaration.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"If there's anything I've learned about being manager at the Khaki Barn, it's that to not give in too easily. Even if someone so wants you, you, like, don't want look too eager by accepting their offer. Like, saying yes to having to pay $100 for an entire month's worth of clothes... only to find out it all went out of style, like, three weeks ago. Out-of-style bargains? So ick!"_

"You've only promised, like, final five! The surfers so offered final four."

"Huh? We never promised you final anything?"

"Really? Well, like, if you want my services, you better promise me something."

Suddenly, Ty and Fin walked over.

"Hey!" Fin waved hello to the pair. "Whatcha' up to?"

"Back off!" Jen said defensively. "I was here first."

Ty cut in. "Yeah, but..."

"Firsties! I have firsties, Ty!"

"Yeah, Ty," Fin said to him. "Jen has firsties."

She pulled him away.

"What are firsties?"

"It's... complicated."

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Sure, it 'looked' like we were giving up on Chrissy. But the girl isn't stupid. Okay, she sorta is, but not 'stupid' stupid, just stupid. Even though we're outnumbered if Chrissy joins Jen's alliance, I have confidence she'll join us instead. Even she's smart enough to realize four is greater than five. You know, 'cause finishing fourth is better than finishing fifth, though normally four is less than five, and... I'm overexplaining this, aren't I?"_

"Look," Jen explained to Chrissy. "Izzy's an unreliable, loose cannon, and Tyler has a bad leg. Play your cards right, and it could be me, you, and Jude in the final three? Huh? Huh? How's **THAT** for making an offer?"

Chrissy seemed deep in thought.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I'm stuck between a rock and... another rock! How do I decide which alliance to stay with?"_

"I'm not convinced yet. Do you mind if I sleep on it?"

Jen did not want this issue to linger another day, but she could see that Chrissy was not willing to make a decision yet, and pushing her to make it could have a negative effect.

"Okay. But let us know soon, k?"

Chrissy nodded, then got up to walk around. Jude and Tyler had seen the exchange from afar, and came over to see what was up.

"Right now," Jen told Jude and Tyler, "if we can't get Chrissy, that forces a deadlock. And I don't like deadlocks."

"You think we can actually get her?" questioned Tyler.

"If she doesn't say yes tomorrow morning, she won't be here tomorrow night. That's a fact!"

The boys nodded, agreeing with Jen's assessment.

* * *

But would she hold true to it? Jen woke up the next morning and made her way out of the bedroom and into the dining area. As she did, she heard a knock at the apartment door. She went over to answer it. No one was there, but she did find a package there. And it had all of the girls' names on it.

She went to wake up the others - getting two pillows and nearly a kick in the face for her efforts - and soon enough, Fin, Chrissy, and Izzy were gathered around her in the kitchen 15 minutes later when she finally opened it up.

Next door, the boys were in the process of opening a similar-sized package as well. Both groups were seen learning what was inside at the exact same time. Each box had four sets of all-white basketball jerseys - top and shorts - and each of the tops had their name and numbers on them.

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"When Ty opened the box and showed us what was in it, I was like, 'No way! Did... did I actually make the merge?'"_

Johnny was dancing around the room with his jersey in hand. He was the number 16. Tyler would be doing the same, if not for the fact that he was still limping a bit. Over on the girls' side, Fin and Jen were happy as they high-fived each other with their jerseys in hand.

"We made it to the merge!" shouted Jen. "Finally!"

"Yeah!" laughed Fin. "Now the real battle begins, right?"

They looked at each other, then at Chrissy, who was examining her shirt.

"A jersey? And why number 5? If anything, it should be number 1, for I'm a Khaki Barn manager!"

Jen and Fin were suddenly having second thoughts.

"Uh, Jen... why are we both trying so hard to get her into our respective alliances? And is it worth it?"

"You honestly wouldn't want to hear how many times I've asked myself those questions."

* * *

The eight remaining competitors walked a few blocks to the location of today's challenge, the Basketball Arena, which was right next door to the Olympic Stadium. Thankfully, that meant that they were going to be indoors, avoiding another windy day.

"I want it to be like yesterday!" whined Jude aloud, echoing the thoughts of the others. "The weather here bites, man!"

* * *

Once inside the arena, the group, having taken a few minutes to change into their new, all-white basketball jerseys, found that the court was already set up. Waiting at the center of the court was a rack filled with basketballs.

"Where's Allen?" questioned Fin.

The host was nowhere to be seen. But there was a note taped to one of the balls on the rack, which Tyler pointed out. Jen was the one to reach for it, and she read it aloud.

"Be with you guys shortly. In the meantime, have some fun!"

Everyone looked at one another, wondering what that meant. But it did not take them long to figure it out.

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Tyler. "Shoot around!"

Tyler picked a ball off the rack and headed towards one of the baskets. Dribbling along, he charged for the rim. He leaped into the air, going for a dunk. But his aim was off. Not only did the ball completely miss the rim, having just touched the bottom left corner of the backboard, but Tyler ended up hitting the post face-first. Everyone winced.

"Ooh," commented Izzy. "That movie was right. White men **CAN'T** jump!"

Tyler slid down the pole until he was on the floor.

* * *

The group continued to practice for 20 minutes, all except for Chrissy, who had voluntarily decided to not participate.

"Like, why should I sweat when nothing's at stake?" she asked aloud, to no one in particular. "In fact, why should I sweat at all?"

Jude tossed the ball to Jen, who was behind the three-point line at the far corner of the basket. She took the shot, and it went in.

"Finally!" she said with relief.

Allen finally made his entrance, coming in from the tunnel leading to the locker rooms. Upon seeing him, the eight white-clad teens stopped what they were doing and gathered around him.

"Afternoon, guys! Having fun?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Hopefully, not too much, though. It's challenge time! And, as expected, you all will be playing the sport of... handball!"

That got Allen a few odd and confused looks.

"No, I'm kidding you, you're all playing basketball."

Some sighs of relief and cheerful chuckles could be heard from the group.

"I see you all are wearing the white jerseys I sent you this morning."

Izzy rose her hand to get the host's attention.

"They're nice and all, but Izzy prefers skirts over shorts! Ha ha! Nothing like feeling the air in between Izzy's legs!"

Ty's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"There are a number of girls on this show I'd expect to hear that from," Fin said aloud. "How you still manage to surprise me, I have no idea."

Allen quickly got them back on track.

"As I was saying, today, you guys will be playing basketball. You'll be playing as one team, against a team of local ringers. We'll be using standard international basketball rules, with two exceptions. One, each of the four quarters will be six minutes long. And two, four personal fouls results in a foul-out instead of five. Got it? In addition, similar to soccer challenge, each of you will be required to be in the game for a certain amount of time. In this case, each of you must play for an entire quarter's length of the game, or six minutes, in regulation.

"Now, the goal, as in with any ball-required sport, is to have more points than the other team at the end of the fourth and final quarter. Wanna know who you're playing? Guys, come on out!"

They all turned back towards the tunnel, and they all freaked out, in both good and bad ways, as they saw a group of eliminated competitors run out, all dressed in red jerseys.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The eight finalists nearly flipped as they saw eight competitors that had been previously eliminated make a reappearance.

"Welcome back Ripper, Wipeout, Caitlin, Justin, Heather, Harold, Bridgette, and Serena!"

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"As happy as I am to see some of them again... why? They've already had their chance at gold! They were eliminated for a reason!"_

"Those of you who competed in the hockey event at the Vancouver competition may already realize what's up. In today's game, it will be the finalists versus the previous eliminated players! Now, this game is very important, because the outcome of today's game could determine who will end up receiving the final gold medal and $300,000 in just a few days' time. Even more important is the person who wins the MVP award, whom I will personally select based solely on your performances in the game today. Now, the player who is named MVP will win a special prize. A prize so big, we couldn't get it in here to show you. So, if you'll direct your attention to the scoreboard."

The big screen on the board came alive, and the group screamed with delight when an advertisement for the MINI Cooper S began playing.

"That's right, today's MVP wins a new car! We're in the UK, so why not send you home with a British car? The MINI Cooper S comes with, in addition to all the standard features, we're also throwing in a year's subscription to Sirius/XM satellite radio, free of charge! And best of all, we'll also ship it to you in Canada, to enjoy without any worries!"

Everyone applauded, as the prize was worth playing for.

"Now, the MINI is nice and all, but I'm sure the second reward for being named MVP will be more valuable to you. That's because whomever is chosen as MVP will have to pick two of the finalists to send home today."

The finalists looked amongst each other, wondering whose vacation in London was about to end.

"In addition, if the MVP is on the previously eliminated players team, that person gets a ticket **BACK** into the game, and thusly, a **SECOND** chance at the $300,000 grand prize!"

"**WHAT?**" all of the finalists yelled in surprise.

Ripper smiled, Heather smirked, and Caitlin squealed with joy.

"And not only will the MVP in that case get back in the game, they can also choose someone else from their team to join them. That means that two of them could earn a second chance at $300,000! Isn't that great?"

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"That's so not great!"_

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"That's so not fair!"_

_Confessional Cam - Jude_

_"That's so not ludicrous! Wait, I mean, so ludicrous. Yeah. Wait, what does ludicrous even mean, man?"_

"But they all were eliminated already!" Jen exclaimed. "Besides, we weren't given the same opportunity in Vancouver!"

Jude and Fin, who along with Jen were on the 'PEP' team for the hockey challenge back then, nodded in agreement. Allen responded.

"That was then, this is now. Times change."

Jen groaned in disappointment, but there was nothing she could do.

"If it's a problem, then just win this game! Easy, right?"

Jen bucked up, knowing that Allen spoke the truth. Two eliminated players getting back in would not be an issue if her team won.

"Enough dilly-dallying! Each side, choose five players to start the game, and we'll get started! Good luck!"

_Confessional Cam - Heather_

_"I'm not accustomed to needing second chances. But hey, I'll take it! Especially if it means another shot at getting $300,000 richer!"_

* * *

The two teams' starters gathered around the center line for the tip-off. Starting for the White Team was Jen, Ty, Johnny, Izzy, and Jude. On the court for the Red Team was Ripper, Heather, Wipeout, Serena, and Justin. Tyler was the most active among those starting on the bench, as he was up and stretching rather than sitting down.

_Confessional Cam - Tyler_

_"Been kinda injury prone lately, strangely enough. As much as I want to start, making it to the end of this competition is more important. Besides, the team doesn't need me on the court the entire time to beat the Red Team. Ha! What a joke!"_

The head referee blew the whistle, then tossed the ball into the air. Johnny and Wipeout jumped up to get it, and Wipeout managed to get a fin on it first and knock it over to Ripper. The game had begun, and Ripper started dribbling up the court. He made a few hand signals, directed at each of his teammates, one at a time.

Unfortunately, they did not get it.

"What's he doing?" asked Serena, who was standing open between Jude and Izzy.

Heather was trying to speak her mind...

"Just shoot the... just shoot the... just... **WILL YOU QUIT IT!**"

...but Jen kept trying to hold up her left arm in front of Heather's face, showing she was ready to block any attempt at a pass her way. Ripper rolled his eyes, then passed the ball to Serena. She took a look at the basket, then threw the ball back to Ripper when Izzy came charging at her. She sidestepped out of the way and Izzy fell flat on her face.

"Wipeout!"

Ripper threw the ball at Wipeout, who was towering over everyone and standing right near the basket. But the ball bounced off of his face, and then the floor, before ending up in Justin's hands. He threw a shot up, underhanded, hoping it would go in.

It hit the front of the rim.

The ball bounced into Jen's hands, who got control of it and started her way over to the other end of the floor. Once on her team's side of the court, she handed off to Ty, who tried his best to get situated. Seeing no one open, Ty tried to move around, hoping to free someone up. Finally, he saw Izzy break free of her defender and head for the basket. He bounce-passed the ball around Ripper and got it to her in stride. Just as she went for the lay-up, her arms were hit by a fin reaching in. The whistle blew, and the nearest official pointed at Wipeout.

"That could've been anyone's fin!" he protested, to no avail.

He was charged with the first personal foul of the game, and Izzy went to the foul line for two free throws. The first one hit the backboard, but her second shot went in.

"Izzy shoots, she scores!"

The Red Team took possession and started passing the ball around as if it were on fire. With time winding down on the shot clock, the ball somehow ended up in Wipeout's hands, who had no choice but to throw it up... and have it miss everything.

Following the shot clock violation, the White Team would get the first basket of the game, as Ty got free of Ripper and put up a 10-foot jumper. 3-0, White.

After a couple exchanges of misses, the Red Team finally got their first basket courtesy of Wipeout, who leaped into the air with both hands on the ball and he jammed it home.

"Who says blue whales can't jump?" chuckled Harold.

The Red Team would go on a run, scoring 11 straight points, capped off with Heather scoring after escaping a double team. Ty ended up breaking the scoring drought with a take-it-to-the-hoop lay-up. Each team would add a couple of scores before the end of the quarter, including one from Fin, who had come in for Izzy after she ran around too much to be useful. At the end of one quarter, Red led 15-9.

* * *

The second quarter began with a run by the Red Team. Ripper started ripping off shots, among other things, that fell. One, two, three, and four, no matter whom the White Team tried to guard him with, Ripper found a way to get free and get some good shots off. The White Team broke the one-man scoring streak when Fin got a jumper to go in.

Thankfully for the White Team, Ripper cooled off as they started double-teaming him constantly. Unfortunately, that pretty much meant the scoreboard was going to stay the same for a few possessions. And stay the same it did, as both teams put up shots with no success. Even when the teams went to their bench and got Chrissy and Bridgette in, respectively, neither was much help. Chrissy just seemed uninterested and was not putting much effort into defending, while Bridgette suddenly decided to trip over her own two feet every few seconds.

Things got a little more interesting near the end of the half as players started going to the line after getting fouled. Wipeout and Heather seemed content to cause chaos, as each had committed three of their max-allowed four fouls by the time the half drew to a close. The White Team shrunk Red's lead thanks to a number of made free throws by Ty, Fin, Jen, and Izzy, but they continued to struggle from the field. The basket-scoring drought by both teams ended in the final minute, with a two-pointer by Jen, a three-pointer by Justin, and a two-pointer by Tyler right before the buzzer. One long-range shot at the end by Ripper was well short.

"And that's the end of the first half," Allen said. "The score at the break... Red Team 28, White Team 22. Will the PEPs hang on, or will the Finalists make a come back? Stay tuned for the second half, right after this short break!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"We're back," greeted Allen, "and as we start the second half, we see someone new coming onto the court. 'Bout time, Reds!"

Caitlin's knees were knocking against each other as she got into the game for the first time, joining Ripper, Harold, Serena, and Justin.

_Confessional Cam - Caitlin_

_"Why'd it have to be basketball? Why couldn't it have been the one with the horses? Or competitive shopping? Ooh... who do I talk to in order to get that into the Olympics?"_

Jude in-bounded the ball to Jen to begin quarter number three. They, along with Ty, Fin, and Chrissy, made up the White Team's second-half starters. And that seemed to be a good group of five at the on-set, as Ty sunk his team's first three-pointer on their first possession, cutting the deficit to three. On the ensuing possession, the Red Team tried to respond, as Ripper went for three. And missed.

Fin got the rebound and threw it as hard as she could towards Jen, who had gotten by the defense. Jen caught it in stride and got to the basket unopposed, laying it up and adding two more points.

"Ugh!" grumbled Heather, stuck on the sidelines with three fouls. "What are you people doing?"

Eventually, Heather realized that they were in trouble. She called timeout to fix things.

"We're clearing the bench. Justin, Harold, and Blondie, take a seat!"

"I have a name, you know!" protested Caitlin.

Heather ignored her and turned to both Bridgette and Wipeout.

"**YOU!** Do something other than trip over your own two feet! And as for the whale, don't foul out! Got it?"

Play resumed, and instantly the changes bore results. Wipeout pretty much took away any lay-ups on the inside. And Bridgette managed to not only stay up, but to take a shot at the basket as well. A shot that got nothing but air and landed out of bounds.

"Well," mumbled Heather, "at least she's trying to do something."

The changes still managed to give the Red Team a defensive presence, keeping the White Team from getting any good looks at the basket. They then started getting some performance on the offensive ends, as made baskets by Heather, Serena, and Ripper on back-to-back-to-back trips down the court gave the Reds the lead back and then some. Ty and Jen each got scores on their team's next two possessions, and suddenly the game opened up, as players on both teams started getting free for clear shots, most of which were going in.

With the aggression going up on offense, that meant that the defenses had to respond equally, and that led to a number of fouls being called. Before they knew it, Ty suddenly had three fouls, the latter of which during a brief stretch where both Jen and Fin had to come out for a quick breather, and right before the end of the quarter, Wipeout fouled out as he hip-checked an overaggressive Izzy while in the paint, trying to take a shot. He was seen arguing with the official, but somehow his teammates pulled him away before he could get called for a technical.

At the end of the third quarter, it was Red Team 42, White Team 38.

* * *

The fourth quarter did not start off well, as Ty began it only one foul away from fouling out. It was up to Jen, Fin, Tyler, and Johnny to step up and keep the pressure off him, at least in the early going.

But the plan would not last long. Early on, during a jump for a rebound, Tyler got his legs tangled up with Fin on the way down. Tyler's leg twisted around awkwardly, and he ended up going down while Fin had the ball in hand. She started to dribble away, but took a look over her shoulder as she reached half-court. At that same moment, the referees whistled to stop play.

Tyler was on the ground, and he was grasping his right ankle. And screaming. Loudly.

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**"

Fin was in shock as she saw Tyler writhe in pain. She started to run back to help him, but the on-site medical staff got to Tyler first. Everyone looked on silently as the jock was tended to. They worked on him for several minutes, prompting Allen to come over to check for an update. He reached Tyler just in time to hear one of the medics ask him a question.

"Can you walk, son?"

Tyler was seen shaking his head. Another couple minutes passed before a couple paramedics walked into the arena, pulling a gurney, or trolley as it was known in the UK, with them. Everyone watched as Tyler was carefully lifted onto it. As he was secured, Tyler gave two thumbs up to everyone, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Fin immediately ran over to apologize.

"I'm so, so, so sorry!"

"It happens," Tyler said in response. "I'll be back! Just you wait!"

Some of the members of both teams, in particular Jen, Harold, Ty, and Bridgette, came over to wish him well. Tyler was then wheeled out of the arena so that play could resume.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I know he's been in pain the last few days, but I wasn't expecting Tyler to go out like that. You never wanna see a fellow competitor go out like that. Even one with his limited skill set."_

With Tyler presumably out for the rest of the game, the White Team could not afford to lose anyone else. So imagine their dismay when, just 15 seconds later, Ty got whistled for his fourth and final foul during a loose-ball scramble in which he got called for pushing Ripper. With arguably their best player now out, the White Team was in real trouble.

The Red Team quickly took advantage, as Ripper got on fire once again, scoring on three of his team's next four possessions. Jen and Fin attempted to rally their team, but as they saw the game start to slip away, both became real possessive of the ball, unwilling to give it to anyone else if either of them got it. But save for one open jaunt to the rim by Jen, nothing was falling.

Once the Reds got the lead to 15, Caitlin came back in to fulfill the remainder of her playing time requirement. But even with her in doing pretty much nothing, the Red Team continued to extend their lead. The Whites would lose a third person when Izzy went a little crazy with defending and fouled out, leaving Jen, Fin, Jude, Johnny, and Chrissy to play the final two-and-a-half minutes for sure... although it was still definitely the Jen & Fin Show.

With the game decided, the Red Team slowed the pace and ran as much clock as they could until it had completely expired. As the buzzer went off for the final team, the scoreboard read Red 64, White 47. The Reds were seen happily celebrating as they jumped up and down, while the Whites looked downtrodden. Particularly Johnny, who was mumbling as he buried his head in a towel on the bench.

* * *

After getting a few minutes to catch their breath and to allow Allen to make his decision for a MVP, the group, minus Tyler, gathered at midcourt for the announcement.

"First off, I'd like to say congratulations to the Red Team, who came in here knowing they all could have a chance to get back into this game, and they played like they wanted that chance."

The Red Team applauded with glee.

"Now, the MVP of the game is... Ripper!"

Ripper raised his arms in triumph, and both sides applauded as he was awarded the MVP trophy. Which in this case was just this event's gold medal. Not that it bothered him.

"Thanks! I'm just glad to be back in the game."

"Glad to hear it. Before you join the finalists, though, two BIG decisions to make. First off, we're going to send the rest of your team home. For REAL this time. But you get to extend one of their vacations here, giving them a ticket back into the game."

All of his teammates began jumping up and down and waving side to side, all trying to get his attention. All except for one...

_Confessional Cam - Heather_

_"Sure Ripper was MVP, but I was the second-highest scorer in the game! He **HAS** to pick me over the rest of these losers!"_

"Allen? I know exactly who I want to save!"

Ripper pointed at the only person not going crazy to be picked.

"Bridgette."

The whole team gasped. Even Bridgette.

"What? **ME?**"

"Yes. Unless you don't want to be saved."

"I do, I do! **EEEEEE!**"

She squealed, then ran over and gave Ripper a big hug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, **THANK YOU!**"

Ripper smiled.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Reasons for picking Bridgette. She's a babe, she now owes me, she's a babe, she won't be much of a threat, she's currently on a break from her boyfriend, and, oh, right, the sheila's a **FOX**!"_

Bridgette finally let go of Ripper, but the hugging did not end there, as she ran over and started hugging every one of the eight finalists, one at a time.

"That's sweet and all," interrupted Allen, "but in order for you to actually get back in the game, a couple of them have to go home as well. So don't get too attached there, Bridge."

Bridgette stopped and nodded in understanding. She then walked back over and stood next to Ripper, who was next to Allen.

"Before we decide that, vamoose, six unlucky souls!"

Allen was referring to the remainder of the Red Team, who started heading for the exit.

"That should be me standing next to you!" Heather shouted at Ripper. "**ME!**"

"Heh," chuckled Harold behind her. "Who's being a sore loser now?"

"Shut up, geek!"

Allen clapped his hands. "Security?"

Wipeout, who had started leaving, turned around, came back, grabbed Heather by the arms, and he dragged her out.

"Let go of me, you stupid marsupial!"

"Mammal!" Wipeout corrected. "Stupid mammal! Wait... **HEY!**"

Harold, Caitlin, Serena, and Justin all followed the pair out, after waving goodbye for the second time.

"Okay, Ripper? Decision time! You're sending two more people to join those six on the bus ride to the airport. Who's it gonna be?"

Ripper's eyes quickly turned on Jen, and she gasped in shock.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"If Ripper sticks to show loyalty, as I suspect, then... oh no!"_

Jen was uncharacteristically shaking in fear, believing that she was about to be put on the chopping block. Johnny seemed nervous too, even though he knew Ripper personally.

"I believe there are two people that have overstayed their welcome, Allen."

Everyone waited for Ripper to point out his two choices.

"Chrissy and Izzy."

"**NO!**" exclaimed Chrissy.

"**YES!**" shouted Izzy. "Oh, wait, Izzy meant no! **NO!**"

"Chrissy and Izzy," Allen said, looking their way, "please step forward."

The two teens did as they were told. Despite her initial reaction, Chrissy suddenly appeared accepting. And Izzy looked like she had become distracted, as she squatted down and started scratching the back of her head with the heel of her right foot.

"One would say both you young ladies made it further than anyone expected. But it looks like you're more than 15 minutes of fame have expired. Chrissy and Izzy, it's time for the both of you to..."

Allen suddenly stopped. He reached up to the earpiece lodged in his right ear.

"Uh huh? Yeah. Really? Sad to hear."

The two to-be eliminated girls looked at each other in confusion. A second later, Allen turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"The producers have just informed me that Tyler has been officially dropped from the competition. Apparently, the initial analysis of his injury is that he has a sprained ankle. As such, there is no way he will be cleared to continue in this competition."

"Allen," Fin spoke up. "No offense, but we could've told you that. The guy was in so much pain!"

"Perhaps, but I do not make the decisions on when someone is forced to withdraw. That being said..."

He turned to Ripper.

"The producers are adamant about only sending two people home today. Need an even number around for the next challenge, apparently. Therefore, Ripper, you're going to have to save one of them."

Attention turned towards Chrissy and Izzy.

"Chrissy. Izzy. One of you is about to get a reprieve."

Izzy chewed on her fingernails as Chrissy closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.

"Ripper. Who are you going to save?"

Ripper thought for a minute as the girls nervously waited for his decision.

"If I have to save one of these sheilas, then it's going to have to be..."

Ripper started to raise his arm to point at one of them.

"No way, dude!" Jude said in disbelief.

And Ripper's finger was pointing at...

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"If I have to save one of these sheilas, then it's going to have to be..."

_(Who will Ripper save?)_

"I'll give you a ten percent coupon off at the Khaki Barn!" bargained Chrissy.

"**OOH!**" squealed Izzy. "Izzy can match that!"

A ripping sound could be heard, and Ripper's jaw dropped.

_(Later, the cast takes a special trip...)_

"This is a once-in-lifetime opportunity!" Jen exclaimed.

Everyone watched closely as the Olympic torch was lit.

_(And then, it's time for some swordplay...)_

"You're going down!" Jen said as she pulled down her fencing mask.

"Not in this lifetime!" Ripper shot back as he did likewise.

_(With only two weeks left until the finale, you can't miss the penultimate episode of "Fresh from Europe!)_

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Second chances don't come along every day."_


	11. Friends Stab You in the Front

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Can you believe it? The two-part finale is next week! But there's still a few events to go before that point, so...

...and once you read this week's episode, make sure to go to my profile page and vote for which of the finalists you think will be the winner!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"We made it to the merge!" shouted Jen.

"Yeah!" laughed Fin. "Now the real battle begins, right?"

"In addition, if the MVP is on the previously eliminated players team, that person gets a ticket **BACK** into the game, and thusly, a **SECOND** chance at the $300,000 grand prize!"

"**WHAT?**" all of the finalists yelled in surprise.

Tyler was on the ground, and he was grasping his right ankle. And screaming. Loudly.

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**"

"The producers have just informed me that Tyler has been officially dropped from the competition. Apparently, the initial analysis of his injury is that he has a sprained ankle."

"Ripper, you're going to have to save one of them."

Attention turned towards Chrissy and Izzy.

"Chrissy. Izzy. One of you is about to get a reprieve."

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Eleven - Friends Stab You in the Front (07.16.12)**  
**-**

Izzy chewed on her fingernails as Chrissy closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.

"Ripper. Who are you going to save?"

Ripper thought for a minute as the girls nervously waited for his decision.

"If I have to save one of these sheilas, then it's going to have to be..."

"Wait, **WAIT!**"

Everyone turned towards Chrissy.

"I'll give you a ten percent coupon off at the Khaki Barn!" she bargained.

But Izzy was not about to be outdone.

"**OOH!**" squealed Izzy. "Izzy can match that!"

A ripping sound could be heard, and Ripper's jaw dropped.

"No way, dude!" Jude said in disbelief.

"Why get ten percent off later when you can get ten percent off now? Uh... Izzy thinks this is ten percent."

The ten percent she was referring to was the entirety of her shorts, which she had ripped away from her body and was now offering it as a bribe. Ripper, surprisingly, looked uncomfortable.

"I know my name's Ripper, sheila, but as nice as it is seeing a girl rip off her clothes for me, that's not why that's my name."

Ripper pointed at Chrissy, indicating he wanted to save her.

"Wait? You... you, like, want to save me? **OMG, OMG!**"

Chrissy started jumping up and down as if she had won the lottery. After celebrating uninterrupted for about a minute, she calmed down.

"Sorry, Izzy," she said, smirking at the redhead, "but it looks like guys prefer blonde, uninsane girls who don't tear their clothes off."

Fin whispered to Jen. "She knows uninsane is not a word, right?"

Jen responded by lightly chuckling under her breath.

"Oh well," Izzy said, shrugging her shoulders. "Izzy was willing to go farther. You know, 20 percent. Or 30. Or one kajillion. Oh well."

"Hold on," Johnny cut in, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Ripper, maybe you should reconsider. I mean, if Izzy's willing..."

Johnny stopped himself mid-sentence when he realized all of the other girls were giving him evil glares.

"On second thought, since I want to one day have kids, I'm retracting my last statement."

The girls backed off, and Johnny breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good call, bro," Jude whispered to Johnny. "I saw a dude once say something like that around a bunch of bras. Dude couldn't walk up straight for a week!"

"Well," Allen said, turning to Izzy, "Ripper has spoken. Izzy, exit's that away, after the others."

"Izzy's out! **PEACE!**"

Izzy then cartwheeled to the tunnel, and kept doing so until she was out of sight of Allen and the remaining competitors, and even until she reached the exit door, which she kicked open without breaking stride.

"Now that we've survived Izzy," Allen said. "There are eight of you remaining. For real this time. Only a couple more eliminations until the finale. How many of you are going to hang on and make it to the final event to compete for the $300,000? Head back to the Village to relax, and I'll see you guys at the next challenge."

The eight teenagers did an about face and headed out, beginning the walk back to their apartment.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Second chances don't come along every day. I'm so happy I got one! But I can't squander it. I'll get myself back into my competition mindset once I get settled at the Village."_

But would she get the chance?

* * *

Upon arriving back at their apartment, the casts found an envelope taped to each of their doors, along with four duffel bags in front of each of them as well. Johnny pulled the envelope off of the guys' apartment door and reached into it. Inside was a note and four plane tickets to...

"Greece!" exclaimed Johnny. "These are tickets to Greece!"

"Ew!" groaned Chrissy. "Grease is, like, icky! And bad for you."

"Not grease, Greece, as in the country! It says here to pack for a one-day trip by plane and taxi to Ancient Olympia. A special treat awaits... presence at the official Olympic Torch lighting ceremony!"

"No way!" gasped Jen. "We're going to see the Olympic Torch lit?"

"What's the big deal?" questioned Jude. "I thought they were lighting that here!"

"Well, for every Olympics, the torch is always first lit in Olympia, long, where the ancient Olympics were always held. It then makes it way to the location of that year's Games via a torch relay."

"Whoa! That's a long trip."

"Sounds like a fun trip," Fin shouted. "What are we waiting for? We've got some packing to do and a plane to catch!"

The group cheered as they scrambled into the rooms to pack for the one-day trip to Greece.

* * *

A couple hours later, their plane left from Heathrow International, heading to Greece. Bridgette seemed amazed in particular for the flight, but for a reason other than what was waiting for them at the end.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Back on 'Total Drama,' the 'World Tour' went from London to Athens at one part. Kinda bittersweet, as I had been long eliminated before that. At least I still get to experience the flight myself, as we're flying through Athens on our way to Olympia. And on a plane that I know won't fall apart in the sky at any given moment."_

"This... is nice..." Bridgette said, sighing deeply as she laid back in her seat.

"I know, right?" Fin stated in agreement, as she was in the seat next to her.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"It's kinda odd I'm thinking about 'Total Drama,' since to get back into this game, Tyler and Izzy had to go. Which pretty much leaves me as the last 'starlet' from the series standing. No pressure. Right?"_

* * *

The next morning, the cast arrived in Olympia via car following a half-hour drive from their hotel.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"It's incredible that the eight of us are here to see something this big, something that very few people get to see in person. The start of the Olympic torch relay."_

The group was escorted to a special area. Not quite the VIP area, up close and personal, but they were still situated at the front of the general crowd and with a decent view of the ceremony. The group was among 5000 spectators crowded into the ancient, outdoor stadium where the first Ancient Olympics was held back in 776 BC. They watched as the torch was lit the same way it was back then... using a parabolic mirror to direct the sun's rays into the torch.

A few minutes later, the actress who had lit the Olympic flame used it to light the torch being used for the relay, which was in the hands of the first runner. The group joined in, oohing and aahing as he took off, beginning his run by running in front of the seated crowd.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I don't quite understand everything, but it was so, like, great! I have to admit, that's better than anything I've seen on TV in the last, like, year."_

After the ceremony, the group was audibly gushing over what they had seen.

"This is a once-in-lifetime opportunity!" Jen exclaimed. "We just witnessed history, guys!"

"I don't know about that," Jude commented, "but the chicks were cool! Especially the one with the dove."

"I hear that," agreed Johnny, who bumped fists with Jude.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Pretty incredible to see a moment like this, which you can't buy with all the money in the world. No matter what happens the rest of my life, I'll never forget this special day."_

* * *

The group stuck around for a little while afterwards, wandering around the site and some of the other nearby Greek ruins. At least the parts open to the public, anyway. But Ripper had other ideas, as he had pulled Bridgette off to the side to talk.

About the competition.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"So, I have this three-part plan. If I pull it off, I should be the last one standing at the end! Okay, phase one... get a killer alliance. This morning, I had a chat with the gang..."_

* * *

A few hours ago, at the hotel, Ty, Johnny, Fin, and Ripper were all talking in the lobby.

"You're okay with letting Bridgette in?" Ty asked Ripper.

"I got no qualms about that," he replied. "'Sides, better her than any of those other blokes."

"Let me talk to her," suggested Fin.

"Bad idea. You idolize her a bit much, sheila. You might turn her off with all your fangirling. I'll talk to her. I'm the reason she's back in, after all."

"I'm okay with that," Johnny said.

Ty and Fin also agreed. Ripper smiled.

"Excellent. She'll be with us by day's end."

* * *

Ripper had shot the idea at Bridgette. Now he was waiting for her response.

"I don't know. I mean, sure I agreed to it with Ty, Fin, and Johnny, but then I ended up getting eliminated the next day!"

"Water under the bridge, sheila. Besides, with you, that makes a majority! We can easily off the others, and then it'll just be the five of us, and anything goes from there on out."

Bridgette got up and started pacing. She was really being indecisive. At least she had not walked away yet, meaning Ripper still had a chance to convince her.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I promised the others that I'd get Bridgette. If I fail, none of us are going to win this show. Plain and simple."_

"I don't know," Bridgette kept repeating. "I... don't know."

Ripper sat there, trying to come up with an idea.

_[End Act One]_

* * *

Bridgette was pacing back and forth as she contemplated her decision. Ripper kept pitching away, trying to convince her to go for it.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"If my plan is going to work, I have to have Bridgette on board. I **HAVE** to."_

"We can go far," Ripper told her. "You, me, Ty, and Fin. We'd be a strong foursome. Even if you ally with Jen, it'd just be you and her keeping them afloat despite the numbers."

Bridgette still had a hesitant look on her face.

"We're in the end game, luv. One mistake, and you're gone."

"I know, and that's why I'm so nervous about this! It... it just doesn't feel right."

Ripper stopped Bridgette's pacing by getting up and clasping his hands over hers. She looked at him.

"Ripper..."

"Trust me. You're going to be on the winning team! We'll be the final four, and then it's everyone for themselves. We all like you, Bridge! We want to look out for you! All we ask is that we look out for us."

Bridgette thought for another minute or so, going silent as she contemplated her decision. Meanwhile, Ripper looked around her and saw Jen spot them and start heading towards them.

"I'm in."

Ripper turned his attention back to Bridgette.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm in. I'm 100 percent in."

"That... that's awesome!"

Ripper wrapped his arms around Bridgette and gave her a hug. Upon seeing this, Jen stopped. Ripper was smirking upon seeing this, and Jen wisely decided to turn around and head back the way she came. Once she was gone, Ripper released Bridgette, and the blonde was none the wiser.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Phase one, complete! Now, onto phase two... dumping the kooks!"_

Not too far away, Jen was seen shaking her head in disappointment.

"Can't believe he got her..." she mumbled.

* * *

That night, the eight finalists flew back to London, and back in time to focus on the final three days of competition. The final rest day was now behind them, and the end was in sight.

And they could feel it upon waking up in the morning.

"I can't believe we're in the final eight!" exclaimed Johnny. "This is so unreal! Somebody pinch me!"

Jude obliged.

"**OW!**"

"What? You wanted someone to pinch you, dude."

"He's got a point," said Ty, chuckling.

But while the boys were ecstatic, the girls were more on edge. Especially, Jen, who was concerned after what happened in Greece.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"We're getting down to the end, and, honestly, it's going to be tough. Johnny, Chrissy, and Jude aren't going to help me. Last night, I realized the truth. The only person who's going to help me win this competition is me. And I have to start acting like it. Or else, I've clearly wasted my time being here."_

* * *

A couple hours later, the finalists took a short walk to the Copper Box. Inside, they found Allen waiting inside the dimly-lit arena. One that had a few mats scattered on the floor.

"What's going on?" asked Chrissy. "I can barely see anything!"

As if on cue, the lights went up a little bit so they could all see better.

"Now I can see."

"Mornin', guys. Enjoy your trip yesterday?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Hope you enjoyed it, because we're all business from here on out. There are only three days left in the competition, which means just three events to go. After that third event, one of the eight of you standing here will be $300,000 richer."

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Imagine what I could do with that much money! I could buy the Khaki Barn at the mall! And maybe a second one, to have all to myself!"_

"I know each and every one of you want to win this competition. Some of you may be at the point where you're willing to do anything to accomplish that. The thing is, you may not be willing to throw someone under the bus and throw away a friendship just for money."

A quick look at some of the competitors, particularly Jen, Ripper, Johnny, and Fin, show that what Allen was saying was the truth.

"So, before you sacrifice a few friends out of jealousy or envy or the like, we're going to give you another chance to let your aggression out and keep it from clouding your better judgment."

Allen clapped his hands twice, and without warning, two people in all-white outfits ran out, from either side of the competitors. The pair met at the center mat. Everyone watched as they pulled out masks and put them on. That was followed by a round of gasps as each was thrown a small sword, an épée, and they started going at it. There were several audible clangs heard as their épées clashed. Eventually, one of the fencers hit his target, tapping his épée on his opponent's outer shoulder.

"Woo!" cheered Fin for the winner. "Yeah!"

With the demonstration done, the two fencers exited.

"So," Allen spoke up, "as you see, today's event is fencing."

Johnny did not seem happy about that. Chrissy, on the other hand, was accepting...

"Well, I don't like putting my hair in that stuffy mask, but at least it protects my face."

Fin shot Chrissy a look of disbelief.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"I still can't believe someone like her is still here. I'm very close to assuming she's sleeping with somebody in the crew, because I've run out of good excuses for her."_

"You will be competing in the épée discipline," Allen explained. "That means that any contact with the tip of your sword with your opponent's body is worth one point. It has to be with the tip **ONLY**. There are electronic sensors built into each of the swords, and they are connected to a scoring table. If you are hit, the red light on your side of the mat will turn on, and your opponent will get a point.

"There will be two rounds of competition: the preliminary round and the medal round. Each bout ends when either one fencer has scored five points or when three minutes have elapsed. For the preliminary round, you will be split into two pools for four, in a round-robin format. The top two fencers in each pool will go to the medal round. The bottom two in each will have to participate in a classification match. If you lose the classification match, you'll then drop into today's Elimination Challenge. Lose that, and you're going home."

There was a round of nods from the group.

"For those of you that make the medal round, the matches go from winner-takes-all to best-of-three. The person who survives the medal round receives an awesome cash prize."

"How much are we talking, dude?" asked Jude.

Allen paused briefly before giving his answer.

"$30,000."

A few of them were impressed, but others, not so much.

"It's only a fraction of what you'd receive for winning the whole competition, but let's face it... only one of you is going to be that lucky. Better to still get something out of this than nothing. And, hey, if you happen to win this challenge **AND** the final one, well, that's an even bigger bonus."

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Obviously, the only prize that's worth my time is the $300,000. Still, I'm sure my Dad would never let me hear the end of it if I let any money-making opportunity go by the wayside."_

"In addition, today's winner will pick two more people to participate in the Elimination Challenge. That means half of you will be up for elimination today, and two of you will be going home."

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Oh, you can't bet that ain't gonna be me!"_

"Let's get you all set for the challenge. Good luck, everyone!"

* * *

The first bouts of the preliminaries were ready to begin. Johnny was to duel with Jen, Jude with Bridgette, Chrissy with Ty, and Fin with Ripper.

_Confessional Cam - Johnny_

_"There's got to be at least one Olympic sport that I can beat Jen in. Maybe today's the day?"_

Allen blew the whistle to start the four matches in unison. A second later, the light next to Johnny went on. Jen had made a lunge straight ahead, and her épée made contact with the center of his chest before he could even raise his épée to block.

"Oh, come on!"

They reset, and went at it again. This time, Johnny made the first move, going for Jen's left shoulder. She successfully parried it, then jabbed forward, hitting Johnny in the lower stomach. 2-0, Jen. Jen took off her mask and started giggling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Johnny, but you **REALLY** suck at this!"

Johnny would manage to get a point on the board later on to save face, but Jen won easily, 5-1. The other three matches were much more competitive, with Jude besting Bridgette 4-2, Ty surviving a tougher-than-expected duel with Chrissy by a 3-2 margin, and Ripper getting the last point in a 4-3 victory over Fin.

* * *

The second round of bouts focused on Ty and Ripper going at it. And they were going at it hard, as it took almost two minutes just to get the score to 1-1 after a number of dodges, blocks, and parries. Finally, Ty gained the upper hand by getting a bit aggressive, and he scored thrice in the final minute compared to just once for Ripper, to take a 4-2 win.

In a show of sportsmanship, the two friends shook hands afterwards.

"Good match," Ty said.

"Likewise," Ripper said. "I'll get you next time, though."

Meanwhile, Fin completely dominated Chrissy in a 5-0 rout, Bridgette hung on for a 4-3 upset of Jen, and Johnny needed extra time to beat Jude, 3-2, after regulation expired on them with the score tied.

* * *

In the last set of preliminary bouts, the spotlight was on Ripper and Chrissy. Chrissy was giving Ripper a run for his money, up 3-2 in the closing seconds. She was already eliminated from medal contention, but was trying to keep Ripper out as well.

"Stand still!" she screeched, looking for an opening.

"That's not the point!" he said back. "But this... **IS!**"

He lunged forward and his épée touched Chrissy in the left forearm. Her light went on, and was immediately followed by the buzzer signifying the end of regulation.

"3-all," Allen said as he approached the pair. "We go into untimed sudden death! Next point wins the bout!"

The other competitors, having finished their matches, came over to watch the duel. Chrissy and Ripper reset, and were given the signal to begin. They went at it, their épées banging hard against each other. After a few blocks, though, Ripper managed to knock Chrissy off-balance, and he took the opportunity to hit her in the upper chest region, just below her neck.

"Point and match to Ripper!"

Ripper pulled off his mask and smiled. As he relished his victories, he looked to see the results of the other bouts: Bridgette had beaten Johnny, Jen had won over Jude, and Fin had outdueled Ty.

"The preliminaries are over, but there's more action to come after the break! Stay tuned!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"Okay, time to move on to the Classification Matches! These four fencers finished at the bottom of their group, and now their backs are against the wall! The losers of these two matches will have to participate in the Elimination Challenge! So, if I were them, I'd try to win this."

Ty seemed confused that he was one of the four participants, along with Jude, Chrissy, and Johnny. But once it was explained to him, he no longer had an argument. He had to focus on his match with Johnny to try and keep out of the EC. Allen blew the whistle, and the two bouts began. Immediately, Ty went on the offensive, not wanting to lose, as he lunged forward to try and get a quick point. Johnny dodged it, but Ty succeeded in getting him on the second attempt. Meanwhile, Jude was doing everything to avoid Chrissy's épée, as she was swinging wildly, just trying to hit something. Every once in awhile, she would hit her mark. It took until Chrissy was up 3-0 before Jude finally decided to retaliate.

"I don't want to hit a bra," Jude said, "but it's not cool being hit by one, either!"

Jude started fighting back. He got one point. Then a second. He kept being aggressive, putting Chrissy on her heels. Sensing an opening, he went in for another point.

And then the horn went off.

Jude had his épée pressed into Chrissy's right shoulder blade. But it would not count. Time had expired and he only had two points on the board to Chrissy's three. Chrissy was jumping up excitedly as she ripped off her helmet.

"I won, I won! **EEEEEE!** No elimination for me!"

"I just needed two more seconds," Jude groaned. "Two... seconds!"

Jude would be joined by Johnny in the EC, who was beaten by Ty 4-1.

"I'm not feeling good right now," Johnny admitted. "I'm in real trouble! I could be going home! Home!"

* * *

While the two boys tried to prepare for the EC, the medal round began. Fin was dueling with Jen, while Ripper was with Bridgette. As expected, Fin and Jen, being fierce competitors, were going at it with all they could muster. The first two bouts were high-scoring affairs, with Fin taking the first 5-3 and Jen the second 5-4.

In their third and final bout, Jen played a little more defensively, planning to strike only on clear, open chances. It worked, as Jen scored one point, then a second. Fin got on the board with 50 seconds left. But that was it. Jen would tack on an insurance point in the closing seconds after a failed last-ditch attempt by Fin, giving the bout and the match to Jen, 3-1 and 2-1, respectively.

"Good luck in the finals," Fin told Jen afterwards.

"Thanks. I'll need it."

Meanwhile, Ripper was proving too much for Bridgette, who found it tough to defend herself against someone with his speed. She was dispatched of in two bouts, losses of 1-4 and 0-3.

"I didn't win," Bridgette said afterwards. "But I'm not worried. Neither Ripper or Jen want me gone, so I'll just start thinking about tomorrow and hopefully we'll get an event I can kick butt in."

* * *

"In this best-of-three final," Allen announced, "it's Jen versus Ripper! May the best fencer win!"

"You're going down!" Jen said as she pulled down her fencing mask.

"Not in this lifetime!" Ripper shot back as he did likewise.

Allen blew the whistle, and bout one began. Ripper again showed off his speed, which he had somewhat held back on in the preliminaries. That caught Jen off-guard, who gave up two hits before she could get acclimated. But she was unable to score any points, and Ripper won the first bout by the score of 2-0.

In bout two, she went back to the defensive strategy that helped her beat Fin. It seemed to work, as Ripper could not get a clean hit on her. At the same time, though, she could not come out of defense long enough to find an opening to score on Ripper. With time running down, Jen had no choice but to go for broke.

That failed miserably. A hearty thrust forward hit nothing but air, and Ripper went over the top and hit her in the left elbow. That would be the only point he would score in the bout, and the only one he would need.

"Bout two is over!" Allen exclaimed as the horn went off. "Ripper wins this bout 1-0, which means he wins the match two bouts to none!"

"**YES!**" he exclaimed.

The two duelists shook hands after the match without saying a word. Ripper then went over to his alliance members to talk strategy, while Jen sighed in disappointment.

* * *

A few minutes later, the group was gathered around Allen. Ripper was standing right next to the host, while the others were across the way.

"Well, Ripper, prize winner two events in a row. You just won yourself $30,000. How does that feel?"

"Good, mate. Good. I'd rather have the $300,000, though. But I'll take this for now."

"Good to hear. You'll get the check in the mail after the competition, regardless of what happens the rest of the way. In the meantime, you've got two decisions to make."

Allen pointed at the other seven competitors.

"You now must pick two additional people to compete in the EC. Jude and Johnny are already in because of their performance today. Now you must choose one person to duel against Jude, and a second person to duel against Johnny. The winners of each of those duels stick around for one more day in London, and the losers go home."

Allen paused to give Ripper a minute to think about it.

"Okay, to take on Jude... I pick Jen."

Jen nodded. She was not happy about it, but she acted as if she was expecting it.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I knew losing to Ripper meant I'd be in the EC, fighting against one of my alliance partners. And no surprise that he picked Jude as my opponent. No surprise at all."_

"Jen against Jude. Okay, and, Ripper, who's Johnny's opponent?"

All eyes were on Chrissy, the last non-surfer not already in the EC.

"Ty."

Chrissy was surprised to see Ty step forward, and voluntarily, apparently.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"I volunteered because I wanted to make sure we get the people we want out to actually be out. Of course, the last time I tried this, it backfired and I went home. Hope that doesn't happen again."_

"Okay then," Allen said. "Jude versus Jen and Johnny versus Ty. Two of you are going home. Let's find out who. The EC is one bout: first to five or the highest scorer after three minutes survives. Get your gear ready and let's do it."

* * *

Ty and Johnny were up first, and the two guys stood at the ready. Allen blew the whistle, and the bout began. Johnny went at it, hoping to score a couple points early and then hold on until the end. After a few tries, Johnny got the first point of the duel.

"Alright!" Johnny said after lifting his mask.

Ty lifted his too. He was a little surprised about getting scored on first, but he was not going to be deterred. He proved he was up to the challenge by scoring his first point just a few seconds later, evening it up at 1-1.

For the next minute, the two went back and forth, with neither of them able to score. Suddenly, stuck in a moment of indecision, Johnny left himself wide open, and Ty took advantage to take a 2-1 lead. With now less than 40 seconds left, Johnny had to go for the equalizer to stay alive. He poked and prodded left and right, while Ty went on the defensive. Suddenly, Ty switched gears and went for an insurance point. But Johnny not only successfully parried the attempt, he stepped forward and delivered a hit to Ty's left breast. He had tied the score up!

Neither was able to get in one last jab in the final ten seconds, so that forced them into a sudden death situation.

"Next point wins!" Allen declared.

He blew the whistle, and both of them went for the victory on the first thrust. But only one of their épées found its mark, if the one light that came on was any indication. Both duelists took off their masks and saw that the light that was on...

...was Johnny's.

Not that it was a surprise to either of them. Even though they had both thrust forward, Ty had squatted down just enough to avoid being hit by Johnny's épée, while his ended up hitting Johnny right in the stomach.

"You ducked?" questioned Johnny, before laughing. "Nice play, man. Was totally not expecting that."

"Yeah," Ty said.

The two friends hugged each other.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Okay, so I didn't intend to duck. It just sorta happened. Heh. For once, not doing things as planned was a good thing."_

* * *

The second EC bout was between another pair of friends, with this time it being Jude and Jen.

"I won't go easy on you, bra," warned Jude.

Jen smiled. "Okay."

Allen blew the whistle to begin the duel. Jen went on the attack, hitting Jude's épée not once, not twice, but thrice in rapid succession. On the fourth lunge, her épée got Jude in the right forearm, just beneath his wrist. Jude quickly took his mask off.

"Whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed.

Jen took off her mask to respond. "What? We agreed not to go easy on each other!"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean go all out! You trying to kill me?"

Jen rolled her eyes. "You're wearing padding **AND** the sword doesn't hurt that much."

Allen stepped in. "Masks on, duelists! I want to send one of you home already!"

The two obliged, and the fight resumed. Jen let up a little, but for some reason it did not make much a difference. Jen scored two more quick points to take a commanding 3-0 lead after just one minute. Ripper could be seen shaking his head in dismay.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I wasn't betting money on Jen losing to Jude, but crikey! I thought she'd be so exhausted after her duel with me that Jude would've been able to put a fight for at least a little while! Where does that girl get her energy from anyway?"_

Two minutes later, time was called. The final tally was 4-2 in favor of Jen, who eased up late to let her friend get a pity point or two. They both took off their masks as they walked towards each other to say their final goodbyes.

"I guess this is goodbye," Jude said.

"Yeah."

"You better win, bra! The gang's gonna be cheering for ya!"

The two friends hugged, then high-fived each other.

* * *

"Ty and Jen, you two were picked by Ripper to participate in the EC. Both of you were up to the challenge, and you survived. You may both rejoin the others."

The two walked back to the group. Ty got congratulations from Fin, Ripper, Bridgette, and Chrissy. But only Fin so much as welcomed Jen back, giving her two thumbs up.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"It's a good thing Jen's not going home yet. After all, given our rivalry, the only way one of is us getting eliminated is directly by the hand of the other. And that's the way we want it."_

Allen turned to look at Johnny and Jude.

"Guys! You survived 14 days here. You couldn't get through Day 15. Thanks for competing, guys, but the journey ends here. It's time for you to go."

The two of them waved goodbye to the gang, then headed out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are only two events to go in this competition. You have a one-in-six chance of leaving London with $300,000. There will be **ONE** more elimination before the final event. How many of you are going to be sent home one day short of the end? One? Two? Three or more? There's only one way to find out... see you tomorrow!"

The six finalists headed for the exit to begin the walk back to the Village. They could all feel it. One of them was two events away from being the victor.

And every single one of them believed they were destined to win.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_(Next time, on two-part finale of 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Time to put up or shut up!"_

_(Two events, two unexpected outcomes...)_

"No pressure," Bridgette told herself as she tucked her hair under her swim cap. "You miss this and you're going home. Yeah. No pressure."

Someone was shown hitting the water with their legs nearly parallel to the pool's surface.

_(Somebody's gambit ends up backfiring...)_

"I have to do what I have to do," Ty said aloud.

"I'll give you a million dollars if you throw this challenge!" someone promised to Jen.

"You don't even have a million dollars."

"How do you know that? You're **SO** a spy, aren't you?"

Jen frowned. "So, what, you're Izzy all of a sudden?"

_(The finish line is in sight...)_

"100 meters stand between one of you and a check for $300,000!" exclaimed Allen.

_(And you won't believe how this season ends...)_

**BANG! BANG!**

Everyone in the crowd looked down the track. Kelly, in particular, looks completely shocked at what just happened.

"That was... a three-hundred-thousand dollar mistake!" groaned Allen.

_(The two-part season finale of 'Fresh from Europe!'_  
_Next Monday, here on Fanfiction!)_


	12. Diving for the Finale

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Just in time for the real Olympics to start, this fanfic ends! Welcome to the two-part finale of 'Fresh from Europe.' It's been a very tough road with many more troubles than expected, but unlike 'Canada,' in the end this actually did finish on time. So yea!

Two episodes, two events, and six competitors still in the running. Who's going to win it all? Let's get started!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_(Previously, on 'Fresh from Europe'...)_

"32 teenagers have traveled across the Atlantic, where for the next two-and-a-half weeks, they'll do their best impressions of Summer Olympic athletes! A $300,000 grand prize awaits the last athlete standing!"

Ripper pointed at Chrissy, indicating he wanted to save her.

"**OMG, OMG!**"

"Izzy's out! **PEACE!**"

Izzy then cartwheeled to the tunnel, and kept doing so until she was out of sight...

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"If my plan is going to work, I have to have Bridgette on board. I **HAVE** to."_

"I'm in."

"Can't believe he got her..." Jen mumbled.

Allen turned to look at Johnny and Jude.

"Guys! You survived 14 days here. You couldn't get through Day 15. Thanks for competing, guys, but the journey ends here. It's time for you to go."

The two of them waved goodbye to the gang, then headed out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are only two events to go in this competition. You have a one-in-six chance of leaving London with $300,000."

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I can't believe it! I only have to outlast five other chumps and the money's mine! I've got goosebumps!"_

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"It would be great if I could follow in my sister's footsteps and make the final. Just two events to go."_

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"I'm still holding out hope that I can win this! I was given a second chance for a reason, right?"_

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Two more events. Two more, and I'll achieve my dream! I'll be an Olympic gold medalist! Well, celebrity gold medalist, but hey, one step at a time."_

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Winning Gromfest was one thing, but winning this competition would be my greatest accomplishment? I have to win. I will win!"_

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"This is one time where the second time's the charm. Ty and the sheilas better look out! It's time to rip apart the competition! That $300,000 will be mine!"_

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Twelve - Diving for the Finale (07.23.12)**  
**-**

The six remaining competitors arrived back at their apartment. With the exodus of Johnny and Jude, that left Ty and Ripper each with a bedroom to themselves.

"Finally," Ripper said with relief, "I can let myself go."

And with that, he let one rip, filling his room with noxious fumes so quickly that the cameraman fainted before he could get out. Over on the other side, Ty was looking out the window and into the courtyard as he held up a picture of his family.

"Almost there. Two more events."

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Two years ago in Vancouver, my sister got all the way to the finale and finished third! The pressure's now on me to do better, or at the very worst, match her performance! Gotta survive one more EC, but that shouldn't be a problem given our strong alliance!"_

* * *

Over in the girls' apartment, Fin and Bridgette were happily chatting away in the kitchen. Jen walked right past them and into her room.

"What's her damage?" asked Fin.

Bridgette replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I'm so, so close! But I've got a problem. There's a majority alliance, and I'm not in it! My hand's pretty much forced in this second-to-last event. If I don't win it, I'll surely in the EC. And if I'm in the EC, I'm certain to go home! **ARGH! I FEEL SO HELPLESS!**"_

But she was not the only one, as Chrissy was outside, sitting in the courtyard despite the cold, windy weather.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"Like, this competition has been such a chore, and maybe I've been a bit lucky to still be here. That being said, I'm clearly the only non-jock slash jockette left! I can't seriously convince myself that I have a chance of winning this! Can I?"_

Chrissy walked back to the girls' apartment and saw that Fin and Bridgette had been joined by Ty and Ripper.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I honestly hope I somehow make the finale! At least I'll have some impact on who wins this... this... plainlookingsurferjockfest! That reminds me... I so should inquire into whether there's a 'Most Beautiful Finalist' award. That's worth a shopping spree or two, right?"_

* * *

That evening, the six of them were gathered in the boys' apartment. There was a basket filled with an assortment of fruits, as well as a CD case that had a DVD in it.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"So, we got this package delivered to us, and it had a DVD with the words 'Play Me' written in marker on it. Sounds harmless enough."_

A TV and a DVD player had been procured by the show crew so that the gang could watch the movie they had been given.

"I don't care what it is," commented Fin. "I thought going two weeks without TV wouldn't be a problem, but **I WAS WRONG**! **PUT IT IN ALREADY!**"

"Don't you know that TV rots your brain?" countered Chrissy.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Or, as Nikki would say if she were here, 'just like how fashion magazines and squealing like pigs do to you and the Clones?'"_

The DVD started with Allen making an appearance.

"Oh, come on!" grumbled Ripper. "We're done with you today, mate! Shoo, shoo!"

"If you're watching this," Allen said, "then congratulations! You're now just **TWO** events away from winning $300,000! Don't worry, I'm not about to tell you that your next event starts now. You can relax! Well, the physical parts of you, anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Bridgette aloud.

"Event 12 is going to be very involved, and because of the possible dangers to your health in it, we're actually going to let this one out of the bag early."

"If it involves a luge track," commented Jen, "we're protesting."

"I second that," Fin said in agreement, as she raised her hand.

"Event 12... is ten-meter platform diving!"

"Pfft, that's it?" Ripper rolled his eyes. "Bollocks!"

"This DVD you're about to watch explains the basics, particularly the tricks you can do and the scoring system. Tomorrow morning, you guys will get early access to the Aquatics Center so you can spend a couple hours practicing and putting together your sequence of dives."

"Ugh," moaned Chrissy. "We have to think for the next however minutes this is going to take?"

"Enjoy the show! Oh, and one more thing! If you've been good little athletes and have eaten all of the fruit in the basket, you probably noticed some handbooks at the bottom of it."

Ty went back to the basket and indeed found the small five-by-eight inch handbooks inside, one for each of them. He passed them out to the group.

"The books each contain a small summary of what you'll see on this DVD, but they're only reference guides for setting up your diving program tomorrow! For a better understanding of all the rules, watch this little instructional film first! That being said... enjoy!"

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I don't understand why we have to watch some stupid instructional video!"_

The film officially began with a beautiful woman appearing in a one-piece swimsuit atop the ten-meter platform. That got Ripper's attention, as he moved closer to the TV, sitting down in front of Fin and Jen, in order to get a better look.

"Hey!" they both exclaimed.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I don't understand why we don't have great instructional videos for every challenge! Especially if they have cute sheilas in them!"_

"So if I understand this right," Jen thought aloud at some later point in the film, "in a five-judge panel, the highest and lowest scores are dropped, and then the remaining three scores are summed and then multiplied by the degree of difficulty to get the diver's score?"

"Come again?" questioned Chrissy. "I so didn't get any of that."

Bridgette read aloud an example dive from her handbook.

"So, a Reverse 2-1/2 Somersault Dive with 2-1/2 Twists from the Tuck Position has a degree of difficulty of 3.4, but the same dive from the Pike Position spikes the difficulty to a 3.6?"

"That's for the good athletes," laughed Fin. "None of us could do that."

"Oh, really?" Jen questioned.

"I'm serious! If I could do it, I'd tell you! All of those somersaults and twists in just a matter of seconds, while trying to keep some sort of form? That's insane! We're celebrity athletes! That's different from Olympic ones!"

"I dunno," interjected Ty. "I think a few us are capable. Or, at the very least, willing to try. Especially if we want to win."

"Point taken. But I'm not sure if it's worth trying something that difficulty when you could get better scores with a slightly less difficult one."

"The gamble will be worth it if you can pull off all those twists and turns though," argued Ripper. "If any of us are man or woman enough to give it a try."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I'm pretty sure Ripper's trying to bait me into attempting a dive I can't do. I won't fall for his tricks. Then again, he, Ty, Fin, and Bridgette could be just as good at diving as they are at surfing! I might be forced into doing very difficult dives just to have any chance of winning tomorrow! I wish I was in a better position alliance-wise. It would make my life so much easier!"_

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"What is everyone blabbing about? I don't understand any of it! **ANY OF IT!**"_

_[End Act One]_

* * *

The six remaining competitors walked to the Aquatics Center. They were dressed for the weather outside, but after a quick trip to the locker room, they all emerged in swim outfits: the guys in trunks and the gals in one-piece bathing suits.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"So, today, we're getting a chance to practice diving. Sounds silly, but, hey, it's a good chance to scout the competition."_

As with most Olympic swimming arenas, there were separate pools for the swimming events and the diving events, but in the same room, so to speak.

"We're jumping from **THERE**?" Chrissy questioned, as she pointed up to the diving platform.

"Why?" Fin responded, with a smirk. "You chicken?"

"No! I mean, it didn't look as big before..."

"Bawk, bawk bawk bawk!" clucked Fin, flapping her arms like chicken wings.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"How do you miss a 10-meter platform? It was in here when we were here the first time! Platforms don't install themselves in a week!"_

Diving practice began as the competitors tried to work out their plan for the competition. Ripper was among the first to dive in from atop the platform, as he attempted a forward one-somersault dive from the tuck position. He pulled it off without any problem, although his entrance into the water resulted in a fairly big splash.

"Whoa!" gasped Fin, applauding mockingly. "Nice, nice dive."

Ripper was all smiles as he climbed out of the pool. He reached for a towel to dry off his black and blue hair. He high-fived Ty, who was about to climb up to the top of the platform. Once he reached the top, he unknowingly caught the attention of all of the girls. Chrissy and Jen, in particular.

"Like, what do you think about Ty?" queried Chrissy.

"What? As boyfriend material?"

Chrissy nodded. Jen was eying up Ty as he got in position for his dive.

"He's not my type, but... I could see the two of you together. Maybe."

"Maybe's so not a no! I should, like, try to charm him up!"

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I know my first love here was, like, Justin, but I'm so into Ty right now! He's not as hot as Justin, but Ty's is smarter and he's a much better athlete. That's a fair trade-off."_

Fin walked over and, seeing the girls ogle Ty, decided to impart to them some friendly advice.

"His sis doesn't approve of girls who just want to marry into the family fortune!"

"Lo?" Chrissy looked oddly at Fin. "Like, what can she do?"

"She can be a real pain. Just ask Kelly."

Chrissy nodded, seeming to understand.

"Maybe I should think about it."

She was not as anxious to jump on Ty, but that did not mean that she was going to stop watching. And she continued to do so until Ty made his dive into water. After he came out of the water, Ripper was seen talking to him after handing him a towel.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Sheilas get on your case for eying them like a piece of meat. But if they do it first, they can't call us out for looking back."_

To prove his point, later on in the practice session the boys took some time to watch the girls do their thing.

"So how 'bout Bridgette? Eh? Eh?"

Ripper was pointing her out to Ty as Bridgette turned her back to the pool, getting ready to jump off.

"Geoff's a lucky guy."

Ripper was shocked by his friend's response. Before either could say another word, they were interrupted by Bridgette making her dive, as made evident by her near-perfect entrance into the water.

"Geoff's a lucky guy? Mate, they're separated!"

"They're on a break. Two different things, man."

Bridgette climbed out of the pool, with water dripping off of her body.

"You're telling me you have no interest in... that?"

"As long as Geoff's in the picture, no."

Ripper looked at Ty as if he was crazy. But Ty was not budging from his opinion.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"I don't know what he's trying to do, but trying to get me to make a move on another guy's girl? Not cool, man."_

Ty walked off with a look of displeasure on his face. Ripper called after him.

"C'mon, mate! I was pullin' your leg! All in good fun, right?"

Ty just shook his head.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"I don't know if it's because this is a reality show, but everything that's happened the last few days has made me question my friendship with Ripper. I mean, seriously, question if we can be bros any more. He just seems different than the guy I knew before all this."_

* * *

A couple hours, after a break to rest up and get something to eat, it was time for the challenge. Allen was waiting for them poolside.

"We're so close, guys. Can you feel it?"

They all nodded.

"So, it's no surprise what today's event is. You've known about it since last night. You're competing in 10-meter platform diving."

A quick pan up to the top of the platform emphasizes the point.

"You'll each be required to do three unique dives off of the platform. All dives with be scored on a scale of one to ten, judged by a panel that includes myself. The person who has the highest total score after all three rounds will be today's winner. Got it?"

"Yeah," mumbled the group.

"No prize for winning the event today, but anything we offer now would pale in comparison to 300 grand, so no harm done. Now, let's talk... Elimination Challenge."

Everyone gulped, wondering what was up.

"Today will be the final EC. Four of you will be competing in it. Two of you will be going home afterwards."

Chrissy and Bridgette gasped.

"As in the previous EC, the bottom two finishers in the main event will have to compete for the right to get to the finale tomorrow. Also, today is the third and final 'additional stipulation' event."

Allen turned to Ty and Jen.

"Ty and Jen! Although you two survived yesterday's EC, you're going to be under pressure today! Your stipulation is... you must WIN today's event, or else! Into the EC you go!"

Jen was in disbelief.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I know everyone is gunning for me, so the whole 'win or go home' stipulation doesn't scare me one bit. Still, I better bring my A-plus-plus-**PLUS** game today!"_

"Wait," spoke up Fin. "Doesn't that mean one of them is in the EC for sure, and more than likely, both of them?"

"You got it! Anyway, if after the bottom two, and Ty and/or Jen are placed in the EC, if there are still any spots in the four-diver field to fill, today's winner will be responsible for doing that. Got all that? Good! Then let the competition begin, and may the best diver win!"

* * *

After drawing for dive order, round one of the competition began. Bridgette had drawn number one, and was on her way to the stairs heading to the top of the platform as the others waited in the back room. She got a glance at the judging panel. From farthest away from the platform to closest they were: Courtney of 'Total Drama,' Coach Halder of '6teen,' Andrew Baumer and Wipeout from 'Stoked,' and Allen himself.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Before anyone thinks Courtney might show me favoritism, I don't doubt for a second that she will dock me a **WHOLE** point if I hit the water at anything **BUT** a 90-degree angle. **A WHOLE POINT!**"_

[Bridgette, Dive 1:  
Back 1-1/2 Somersault, Tuck Position  
Degree of Difficulty (DoD): 1.9]

Bridgette got into position, with her back to the judges and the pool. She took a deep breath, then made her leap. She performed her dive with no problem, and made very little splash, if any, upon entering the water. The judges went to work as she made her way out of the pool and waited for her score.

[7.9 7.9 7.7 8.8 8.0  
Bridgette: 45.22 (1)]

"Tough," commented Bridgette, shaking her head. "And that was my easy one."

Next up was Ripper...

[Ripper, Dive 1:  
Forward Double Somersault, Pike Position  
DoD: 2.2]

Ripper decided to do his first dive from a running start, and he bolted to the end of the platform in a heartbeat. He did one somersault, then two. But he tried to straighten out too late, and his body kept rotating until he hit the water, which it did with his legs nearly parallel to the surface, resulting in a huge splash.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Man, talk about embarrassing! I hope that one won't come back to bite me!"_

[2.5 1.9 1.5 2.0 2.4  
Ripper: 13.86 (2)]

Ripper was laughing, but the judges could not figure out if he was doing so in order to forget the score or how much pain he was in as he waddled off to the back room. Up next with Chrissy, She stood up on the platform for a few seconds as her dive was announced...

[Chrissy, Dive 1:  
Forward Dive, Straight Position  
DoD: 1.6]

...and she continued to stand there afterwards, letting the judges admire her.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I, like, can't do flips and turns and all that other junk, so, like, the only way I'm going to win today... is to cheesecake up! Sometimes, a girl's just gotta do what a girl's gotta do."_

She stood there, posing for the judges as if this was a fashion show and not a diving competition. Eventually, Allen pulled out a megaphone to stop her.

"You do realize there's a 60-second time limit on your dive from the second you reach the platform, right?"

Courtney, at the other end of the judge's table, decided she did not need the megaphone passed to her to get her point.

"**HE MEANS JUMP NOW, OR WE GIVE YOU A BIG, FAT ZERO!**"

Chrissy huffed, but she complied with the request. She made her simple, unspectacular dive, and waited for her score afterwards.

[7.5 7.5 7.3 9.8 7.3  
Chrissy: 35.68 (2)]

All of the judges looked at Wipeout, who had given Chrissy a near-perfect score. But he was the only judge Chrissy was happy with, as she believed she had been heavily underscored.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"There should've been perfect 10s across the board! They're just jealous, that's all!"_

The first round continued on with Jen, Fin, and Ty, in that order. Their dives are shown, but the elements used were not revealed. All three jumped off of the platform facing forward, but Jen was seen rotating backwards on her dive instead of forwards, and Ty trying to incorporate a full body twist into his, to some difficulty. None of them have clean entries into the pool, but they were not bad.

Their scores for the first dives:

[8.0 7.2 7.8 7.7 8.1  
Jen: 42.30 (2) - DoD: 1.8]

[9.1 9.4 9.0 9.0 9.1  
Fin: 40.80 (3) - DoD: 1.5]

[6.9 7.7 7.5 6.8 7.0  
Ty: 40.66 (4) - DoD: 1.9]

* * *

Bridgette was a little surprised to find herself in the lead to start round two, but she stuck to her plan - not that anyone was allowed to change their program once the competition had begun - and went ahead with her next planned dive.

[Bridgette, Dive 2:  
Reverse 2-1/2 Somersault, Tuck Position  
DoD: 2.7]

Just like Jen's dive in round one, a reverse dive was a jump facing forward, but somersaulting backwards, or towards, the platform. Her leap off the platform was not her best, though, and that would cost Bridgette, for as Bridgette came out of her last half-somersault, she barely had any time to straighten out. She did the best she could, but the sizable splash from her non-perpendicular entry was going to hurt her score.

[6.0 5.7 5.3 6.6 5.5  
Bridgette: 46.44 91.66 (1)]

The second-round dives of Ripper, Chrissy, and Jen were not shown in their entirety. All three up their difficulty, some more than others, and pull off some fairly clean dives. And again, Chrissy goes with a simple dive, albeit backwards.

[9.0 9.8 9.6 9.0 9.6  
Ripper: 62.04 75.90 (2) - DoD: 2.2]

[8.0 7.5 7.5 9.8 8.4  
Chrissy: 43.02 78.70 (2) - DoD: 1.8]

[8.9 8.8 9.6 9.1 9.7  
Jen: 66.24 108.54 (1) - DoD: 2.4]

Fin took her place on the platform, right after Jen's 66-point dive had given her the lead.

[Fin, Dive 2:  
Back Somersault w/ 2-1/2 Twists  
DoD: 2.9]

Fin leaped backwards from the platform, twisting her body around while doing a single somersault. She managed to pull it all off and straighten out for a pretty clean, though not flawless, pool entry. Fin had a smile on her face, believing she had done well. But would the judges agree?

[8.3 8.0 8.0 8.8 8.6  
Fin: 72.21 113.01 (1)]

She applauded the scores, as she had vaulted into the lead.

"I'll take 8s. I'll take 'em."

Up next was Ty...

[Ty, Dive 2:  
Inward 2-1/2 Somersault, Tuck Position  
DoD: 2.5]

Ty made his leap, his back towards the water but rotating forward to do his somersaults, at the platform. He almost did not jump out far enough, as his head passed within six inches or so of the platform. But the rest of the jump went well, and he had very little splash upon entry.

[8.2 8.7 8.2 8.2 8.3  
Ty: 61.75 102.41 (3)]

"Third place after two," Ty said, seeing the '3' next to his score. "Last dive's gonna have to be flawless."

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

The third round got underway with Bridgette leaping off of the platform, doing a twist as she made a 2-1/2 somersaults before entering the pool. But she was unhappy as she exited, and she looked up at the scoreboard to see the replay. Her worst fears were confirmed... her first somersault was in the pike position, as planned, but the last 1-1/2 were in the tuck position.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Switching positions in the middle of a dive is a **HUGE** penalty! I guess I just had a mental lapse. What a time for one of those!"_

Bridgette took one look at her score, then lowered her head as she headed for the locker room. She knew she would have to dive once more... in the EC.

[3.5 3.3 3.7 3.8 3.5  
Bridgette: 31.03 122.69 (1) - DoD: 2.9]

Ripper had come out needing a good score. His third dive was the same as Bridgette's. Could he show her how the dive was supposed to be done?

Avoiding the same concentration lapse that Bridgette have, Ripper performed the dive holding in the correct position, the pike, and his scores rewarded him for it, even though his entrance was far from perfect.

[7.7 8.6 8.5 8.1 8.4  
Ripper: 72.50 148.40 (1) - DoD: 2.9]

Chrissy took the platform for her final dive.

[Chrissy, Dive 3:  
Forward 1-1/2 Somersault, Tuck Position  
DoD: 1.5]

Chrissy managed to pull off the dive nearly flawlessly, with barely any splash upon entry into the water. She was giddy as she emerged from the pool, waiting for her scores.

"I expect nothing but perfection!" she exclaimed.

It was close...

[9.6 9.8 9.8 10 9.5  
Chrissy: 43.80 122.50 (3)]

"That's not perfection!" Chrissy shouted at the judges.

"**THEN STOP WITH THE LAME DIVES ALREADY!**" Courtney yelled back.

So despite the near-perfect final dive, Chrissy's weak lineup of dives likely relegated her to a last-place finish. Meanwhile, Jen was climbing the platform to do her third and final dive.

[Jen, Dive 3:  
Forward 3-1/2 Somersault, Pike Position  
DoD: 3.0]

Jen took a couple deep breaths, and then made her leap. The judges watched as Jen did a total of seven half-somersaults. But would she be able to keep her form? She would find out afterwards.

[8.5 7.8 7.5 7.9 8.0  
Jen: 71.10 179.64 (1)]

"Seriously?" Jen asked aloud. "**SERIOUSLY?**"

She was not pleased with her scores, and she watched the replay of her dive. She could not tell what they took off some points, though she obviously was not seeing the slight leg separation at entry. That left the door open for Fin, and she was going to take advantage of it.

"Time to show 'em something good!"

Gasps could be heard as Fin went into a handstand, with her back to the edge of the platform.

[Fin, Dive 3:  
Armstand Forward Somersault, 2 Twists  
DoD: 2.9]

Fin flashed a smile of confidence as she held herself up. She pushed off and went into her routine. But it was not a clean one, as it took longer than expected for her body to do the whole somersault, which means she was late straightening out for pool entry. Her legs were leaning forward as she entered, and that was going to cost her some points.

Fin knew her dive could have gone better, as she was crossing her fingers as she waited for her score to be announced.

[7.9 7.9 7.5 7.5 7.5  
Fin: 66.70 179.71 (1)]

"Whoa," gasped Fin. "Just barely ahead of Jen. But I'm ahead. And I only have one diver to worry about."

That diver? Ty, who was at the top of platform preparing for his final dive.

[Ty, Dive 3:  
Back 3-1/2 Somersault, Tuck Position  
DoD: 3.3  
(Score Needed to Win: 77.30)]

It was going to be a tall task, but doable. Ty just needed to execute. He turned his back to the pool, and after taking a second to set himself up. He leaped off and began somersaulting immediately. His body spun around and around, and he was in decent form all the way from take-off to pool entry.

But would the judges agree? He waited for what seemed like several minutes after exiting the pool for his score to be posted.

[7.9 8.8 8.4 7.7 7.8  
Ty: 79.53 181.94 (1)]

Ty applauded with glee, seeing that he had won the event and had locked up the first spot in the finals.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"I can't believe it! I made it to the finals this time! Unbelievable! I... never expected making it this far after what happened in Florida last year. Wow."_

Ty was seen been given congratulatory hugs from all the girls and a high-five from Ripper in the back room afterwards.

* * *

"You guys all did really well today," Allen said, "and it came down to the very last diver to determine a winner. But we got one... Ty!"

The others applauded as Ty stepped forward to receive his gold medal for diving.

"Not only did you win today, Ty, but you have just guaranteed yourself a spot in the final event of the competition, and a one-in-four chance of winning $300,000."

"Yes!" He raised his arms in triumph. "Alright!"

"Three more people are going to join you, Ty, but before we find out who those three are, we have some business to take care of."

Everyone went silent.

"Chrissy and Bridgette, you are today's bottom two, which means the two of you will be competing in the EC."

The two of them nodded in understanding.

"And Jen... you were under the stipulation that you had to win today to avoid having to be in the EC. Third place is nice, but it's not gonna cut it. So you're in the EC as well."

Jen took a deep breath, trying to mental prepare herself for what was to come.

"I said four of you will be participating in the final EC, and we have one spot in it to fill."

All eyes turned to Fin and Ripper. But Allen was focused on Ty.

"Ty, you've already punched your ticket to the final. Now, you can help either Fin or Ripper punch theirs."

Ty looked at his choices, and Allen went silent for a minute, giving him time to mull it over.

"One of these two is about to get a guaranteed spot in the final. The other will have to fight for survival in the EC. Ty... who will be the second person to get into the final? Fin? Or Ripper?"

"I have to do what I have to do," Ty said aloud.

Fin and Ripper both smiled, both of them confident that Ty would pick him or her over the other. But Ty could only pick one...

"Fin."

"Yes!" Fin exclaimed, pumping her fist enthusiastically.

"No way!" shouted Ripper in disbelief. "You picked her? Over me?"

Fin ran over and gave Ty a high-five, while Ripper crossed his arms over his chest, not happy about being blindsided by his friend.

"Fin, you're now our second finalist! How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, Allen," Fin said in reply. "Feel like I really earned this."

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"This is awesome! I'm in the final, I've got a 25 percent chance of total victory! Gromfest was all about proving I'm a great surfer. Winning this will prove I'm a great athlete!"_

Ripper, meanwhile, had joined Bridgette, Chrissy, and Jen, all already psyching themselves up for the EC.

"There are two spots in the final left to fill. Which of you two will be earning those tickets?"

The four looked amongst themselves, wondering which of them was going to move on and which of them was going home.

"The EC today will require each of the four of you to do one final dive. But unlike in the competition, you don't get to choose your dives. All four of you will do the same dive."

That did not seem to be a problem for any of them. Except for Chrissy, who was expecting a dive so tough that she could not do it.

"Here's the thing... we're not going to tell you what the dive is until right before each of you come out."

Upon hearing that, suddenly Jen and Ripper were starting to have doubts about making it through.

"As for the scores? We're not revealing them until **AFTER** all four of you have dived."

That made all of them, even Bridgette, worried.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"You're not telling us what dive we're doing ahead of time. You're not telling us what we scored until the end. Like, why don't you just stuff us in barrels and send us over Niagara Falls while you're at it?"_

"The two highest scorers will join Ty and Fin in the final event, which will take place tomorrow. The other two **WILL** be going home."

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I didn't fight for a second chance to win this competition just to be thrown into a completely blind challenge! The only thing good about it as that the others are as blind as I am!"_

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"I've come so far, and to get eliminated right now would be the worst thing to happen to me in the last year. Wait... the troubles with Geoff, that darn incident with Chris... okay, third worst thing. Still pretty bad, though."_

"Ty and Fin," Allen addressed them, "the two of you can take a break. You can sit up in the stands and watch all of the action. The rest of you... it's back to the waiting room. We'll call you out, one at a time, when we're ready for you."

The foursome nodded, then headed out of the room.

**To be concluded...**


	13. Three Hundred Thousand or Bust!

**"Fresh from Europe"**  
**Story Written by Freedom Fighter**

Here's part two of the finale!

**Disclaimer:** All characters are the property of Fresh TV, Inc. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games and all mentioned licensed characters, places, and other related material are the property of the International Olympic Committee. Oh, and this fanfic is not officially endorsed by either the IOC, Fresh TV, or anyone else involved with the Olympics.

* * *

_Thirty-two teens_  
_Seventeen days_  
_Still one grand prize_

_For many, it's yet another chance at glory_  
_For others, they're newbies on the reality scene_

_They lived through tons of total drama_  
_They've experienced what it's like to be 6teen_  
_They know how it feels to be stoked_

_But few of them have had the chance to be an Olympic athlete_

_Until now_

_Cycling, wrestling, diving, and of course, track and field  
Canada's not good at them, but they'll try to do their best  
They'll experience them all  
While living like bonafide Olympic athletes  
But they're not from all over the world..._

_They're just... **FRESH FROM EUROPE!**_  
_[presented in HD print where available]_

**-**  
**Fresh from Europe  
Episode Thirteen - Three Hundred Thousand or Bust! (07.23.12)**  
**-**

Bridgette, Chrissy, Jen, and Ripper were all sitting in the waiting room. None of them were sitting near any of the others, with all of them wanted to be alone to think about the challenge.

Or that was the plan, until Chrissy decided to get up and trot over to talk to Jen. To her surprise.

"What do you want?" Jen asked.

Chrissy got right to the point.

"I'll give you a million dollars if you throw this challenge!"

Bridgette, who was within earshot of the pair, had a shocked look on her face. Jen was emotionless. She was not taking Chrissy's offer seriously.

"You don't even have a million dollars."

"How do you know that? You're **SO** a spy, aren't you?"

Jen frowned. "So, what, you're Izzy all of a sudden?"

Chrissy was not pleased with that accusation.

"I'm trying to focus right now," Jen said as she got up and walked to the other side of the room.

Chrissy just looked dumbfounded that her plan did not work. She then turned to Bridgette, who quickly looked away, not even wanting to give her a chance to pitch it her way.

* * *

Some time had quietly passed as they anxiously waited to find out what was going to happen. Suddenly, Allen walked in with a small purple pouch in one hand and an unopened container of four white ping-pong balls in the other.

"We're now going to draw for dive order."

Once the balls had been removed from the container, marked with a number between one and four, and dropped into the pouch, each of the participants took turns drawing from it. All of them were now seen holding their ball in their clenched right fist and in front of them.

"The number in your hand is when you're going. If you have number one, you'll be leaving this room with me to head out. The rest of you will sit here until your turn. Okay?"

They all nodded.

"Open."

They did.

"Who has number one?"

Jen raised her other hand to indicate that she had it. Chrissy had number two, Ripper had three, and Bridgette had four. Allen and Jen immediately walked out, and the others took their seats.

* * *

Ty and Fin looked up, as did the other four-fifths of the judging panel, as Allen returned with Jen in tow. The pair stopped near the stairs leading up to the top of the diving platform.

"Ready for this, Jen?"

Jen answered confidently. "Have to be."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"Usually, going first in a competition that's scored by a judging panel is a bad thing. But in the case of a blind dive, with blind scores, all that disadvantage goes out the window. I... feel that improves my chances of not just finished second in this, but in winning it."_

"Your dive... is a Reverse 1-1/2 Somersault with 1-1/2 Twists."

Jen nodded, though not necessarily in approval.

"Wow."

"Degree of Difficulty, 2.5."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"This is of a lower difficulty than my last dive, but it involves somersaults and twists. And a forward take-off with backward rotation? There's so much that can go wrong."_

Jen began her ascent to the top of the platform, while Allen rejoined the other judges. Once Jen got there, she took a few seconds to get back in the right mind to jump.

"Big jump," she said aloud to herself. "Big jump."

She stepped up to the edge of the platform and gave a signal to the judges that she was ready. Allen waved acknowledgement back. All that was left for Jen to do was jump.

And jump she did.

Her body twisted and turned as it fell ten meters into the pool. Ty and Fin applauded, believing it was a good dive, especially with very little splash from Jen upon entry.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"It felt like a good dive. I just have to hope the judges agree."_

Jen got out of the pool and turned towards the judges' panel, hoping to gauge their reactions. But none of them were willing to give her a hint. After a few seconds, she gave up, and was whisked away to the practice pool, where she would wait out the rest of the event.

* * *

Chrissy was led out a couple minutes later, and she was being told what the dive was.

"Seriously? No one can do that!"

She had apparently forgotten that three people had managed to pull off a dive with twists. Two of them were in the stands, and the third had just gone before her, although she could not have known about that last one.

"Good luck," Allen said, before heading back to the panel.

Once Chrissy was up at the top of the platform, she tried to figure out whose idea this particular dive was. And she seemed to be focusing her gaze on Courtney. Not that she knew, as she was looking up at Chrissy and waiting for her dive, just like the other judges.

"Here goes nothing," Chrissy told herself.

She took off and did her best to pull off the routine, but it was anything but clean in mid-air. And her entry was anything but clean, if the big, hard splash was any indication.

"No one can do that," Chrissy repeated a minute later, now out of the pool and drying herself off with a towel. "No one can do that."

* * *

It was Ripper's turn. He was concerned upon hearing the dive he had to perform.

"Somersault and a half? And a twist and a half? That ain't gonna be easy, man."

Ripper began making his way up to the top of the platform. Once at the top, he started practicing twisting, trying to figure out how to do it before jumping.

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"I've never twisted in a jump before, and I'll be frank, having to do one blind, without any practice? It won't be pretty."_

Once he felt satisfied he knew what motions to make at take-off, he took his place at the edge of the platform. He did not waste time, as he only stood there for a second or two before pushing off. He did his best to twist and turn his body around. It look he got all of the somersaults and twists in, but his body was still rotating as he straightened out for entry into the water. His legs were leaning backwards and a little separated as he went in.

Ty was seen whispering to Fin as Ripper swam towards the edge of the pool, but about what is unsure. Ripper had not noticed their chat.

"Nothing to do but hope for the best," Ripper said once out of the pool. "Out of my hands, mate."

* * *

Bridgette was the last to attempt the EC, and she too was surprised upon hearing what the dive was.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Upon hearing there were twists in the dive, my mind started racing. Could Jen do it? Chrissy? Ripper? And if the answer to at least two of those questions was yes, I had to ask myself... could **I**?"_

"No pressure," Bridgette told herself as she tucked her hair under her swim cap. "You miss this and you're going home. Yeah. No pressure."

She made the ascent to the top. Once there, she saw Ty and Fin in the stands to her left and the judges to her right. She took her position at the end of the platform.

In the stands...

"She's got this," Fin told Ty. "She can get this."

Bridgette leaped off, getting as high as she could, and then she twisted and turned to get all of the somersaults and twists in. She got it all in but the water was coming up fast, and she still had to straighten out. She tried to will herself into form, but then she hit the water with a sizable splash.

"You think that's good enough?" Ty asked Fin.

"Depends on the judges," Fin replied.

The pair glanced over at the panel, who was already hard at work scoring Bridgette's dive. The blonde-haired surfer climbed out of the pool, unsure of if she had done enough to make the final event.

"That was tougher than I thought it would be," she admitted. "I just hope it was enough."

* * *

"The judges and I have scored all of your dives, and it's time to announce which two of you are making the final event, and which two of you are going home."

Ty and Fin were off to one side, Bridgette, Chrissy, Jen, and Ripper were in another group, and Allen was standing with the other judges behind him.

"The winner of the EC, and the third person to clinch a spot in the final event is..."

He paused for a minute to create some tension. And then...

"...Jen."

Jen jumped up and down with excitement, hugging Bridgette tightly. She then ran over to Ty and Fin and wrapped her arms around them as well.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"This is everything I've ever dreamed of! I made the final! I've got my chance to say I'm going for gold!"_

The judges were seen applauding Jen, though Coach Halder seemed displeased with Jen's celebration.

"Three in, one to go," Allen said, turning all their attention back to the EC participant group.

Bridgette, Chrissy, and Ripper were all very nervous.

"Finishing second in the EC, and earning the fourth and **LAST** spot in tomorrow's final event... is..."

Allen paused again. Which one of them would be the last finalist?

_[End Act One]_

* * *

"Finishing second in the EC, and earning the fourth and LAST spot in tomorrow's final event... is..."

Allen paused, and everyone was holding their breath as they waited for him to announce the last finalist.

"...Bridgette."

Bridgette's jaw dropped. She could not believe Allen had said her name, and she fell to her knees, succumbing to tears. Of happiness. Meanwhile, Chrissy had cupped her mouth with her right hand, and she looked about to cry as well, albeit in sadness. Ripper just looked lost after his failure, but he managed to compose himself enough to squat down to comfort Bridgette.

"You did it, sheila!" Ripper told her, grabbing her at the shoulders and shaking her. "You did it!"

Eventually, Bridgette calmed herself down enough to stand back up, and she got a round of applause from finalists and judges alike.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"After... sniffle... after everything the past few months, I'm just... so thankful I made it. That I was able to make it. This... this is more than I would've ever dreamed of."_

Bridgette got a hug from the other finalists as she joined them. But with her joining Ty, Fin, and Jen, that left Chrissy and Ripper on the outside of the final event, looking in.

"Chrissy. Ripper. The two of you have done an incredible job making it to this point. Ripper, you showed determination and true grit despite an early exit, and you made every attempt to prove you were worthy of a second chance. And when you got it, you gave everyone a run for their money."

Ripper nodded, knowing he had proven his worth.

"Chrissy, this competition was way out of your comfort zone. No one gave you a chance of lasting a day here. But you survived two weeks and twelve grueling events. You should hold your head up high, as you outlasted a lot of good, good competitors."

Tears started streaming from Chrissy's eyes.

"Chrissy and Ripper. I hate saying this... but it's time for you to go."

The four finalists came over to offer their condolences to the two eliminated players, despite any differences they had between them.

_Confessional Cam - Chrissy_

_"I'm so not happy that I did make it to the end, but I still, like, made it way farther than anyone thought I would! I think I proved that I'm just as good as anyone here, and if they asked me to do this again at the next Olympics, I'd do it in a heartbeat!"_

_Confessional Cam - Ripper_

_"Not particularly pleased with how I ended up in the EC to begin with, but it was still up to me to perform. Just got outperformed when it counted, and I've got no one to blame but myself."_

Chrissy and Ripper headed for the exit, and it did not take long before they were out of sight. Allen gazed upon the four finalists.

"So it's Ty and three lovely ladies in the final!"

The finalists laughed at Allen's little jest.

"Ty, Fin, Jen, and Bridgette. Tomorrow night, one of you four will be leaving London with a check for $300,000! Enjoy your last night in London, and I will see you tomorrow."

With that, the finalists headed out. They left side-by-side, with their arms draped around each other's shoulders. They were all being friendly now, but that certainly would not be the case at the final event.

* * *

Back at the apartment, the four finalists celebrated reaching the end of the competition with another toast... with regular orange juice this time.

"A toast," Fin shouted, raising her glass, "to us! Because the **RIGHT** four people made the final!"

"Here here!" Jen said in agreement.

The four of them clanged their glasses and got to drinking.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"So, we made it to the final! But that was the hard part. No having to worry about anyone else trying to throw you off the cliff, so to speak. The person who wins this is going to do this by his or herself. And I'm up for the challenge."_

But the celebration did not last long. Exhausted after yet another tough, physical day, the group turned in early, not long after sunset, to rest up for the final event.

They were going to need all their strength to survive it.

* * *

Morning had arrived on the final day of the competition. Ty was the first one up, and he found it rather relaxing to exit the bedroom of his apartment. And it was absolutely quiet.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Kind of odd to wake up to an empty apartment this morning, but, being the only guy to make it to the end has its advantages."_

Half an hour later, Ty was in the hallway, knocking on the girls' apartment door.

"Coming!"

A couple seconds passed before it was opened, and Ty was greeted by Jen. She stepped aside and let him in. Once inside, Ty saw Fin sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much."

Ty and Jen joined Fin at the counter. Bridgette emerged from one of the bedrooms, fresh out of the shower. She was already dressed, though her hair was wrapped in the towel.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she said playfully.

"As are you," Ty teased back.

The four of them hung out for a little while, taking advantage of the down time to savor their final few hours in the United Kingdom.

"I'm just so glad to be here," Bridgette admitted. "You're all such talented athletes."

"Don't sell your self short," Jen said. "You deserve to be here just as much as the rest of us."

"Yeah, girl!" agreed Fin. "You're rocking this competition!"

"You deserve to be here," Ty assured her. "We **ALL** deserve to be here."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"We've all become pretty friendly with each other, but here we're still fierce competitors and rivals first. I can't wait to see how things will shake out in the end."_

"I'm glad we're all here," Jen said, "but don't be upset when I win the final event, guys."

"As if," Fin smirked. "The only one winning today is me!"

"Don't get too cocky," spoke up Bridgette, "but I might just surprise all of you today!"

"Sorry, ladies, but I'm getting this one," cut in Ty. "The guys will never let me hear the end of it if I lose to a girl."

"Oh, you can always buy new friends," joked Fin.

Jen and Bridgette broke out in hysterical laughter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" queried Ty, half-serious.

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"I know we're just joking around, but I really want to win this. Not 'cause I'm the last guy standing, but 'cause I want to prove I can do things for myself. You know, there's this perception that being rich makes me soft. I've said from the start that the prize money doesn't matter to me. All that I care about is proving that I can go out and show I don't need everything to handed to me in life. It's up to me to make that last push to the finish line."_

* * *

They got more rest time than they expected, as they were not even contacted for the final challenge until well into the afternoon hours. And even then they were brought to the location of the event one at a time, at different times. They were also blindfolded, unaware of where they were until it was removed.

"Welcome to the Olympic Stadium!" exclaimed Allen.

Each of the finalists took time to get a good, long look at the stadium in its entirety, something they did not get to really do the first time they were here, when they competed in the steeplechase event.

"Just amazing," commented Bridgette.

"I can't believe I'm here," said Fin is disbelief.

"Imagine this stadium filled up with thousands and thousands of people for the Opening Ceremonies in just a couple months!" Allen told them. "You're standing on hallowed ground here."

"If only it were for real," wished Jen aloud.

"So unreal," thought Ty.

"Each of you is getting some time by yourself on the track today, by yourselves, because we believe there's only one event exciting enough to be the final event of this competition."

He paused briefly before telling them what it was.

"The 100-meter dash."

Each of the finalists reacted differently to the announcement. Ty seemed the most pleased with it, while Jen acted kind of neutral to it.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Running 100 meters doesn't sound hard at all, until you realize that it's a race and finishing second isn't an option. Especially with a few hundred thousand dollars on the line. Just sayin'."_

"The rules are pretty simple," explained Allen. "First one to cross the finish line not only wins the event, but wins the grand prize and becomes $300,000 richer!"

"That's it?" questioned Bridgette, fearful that there was a catch.

"That's it."

"Hmmm. That is simple."

* * *

A little while later, each of them were shown getting a feel for the track, as well as find out how fast they could cover 100 meters. Ty and Fin were each seen making a couple runs, all timed by hand rather than the electronic scoreboard, which was not on during the sessions.

"You think that's going to be fast enough?" Ty asked Allen after a run.

"Not if you're talking to me right now," the host said back. "If you're going all out, you should be gasping for air after each run!"

Ty started walking back up the track, hoping to impress Allen the next time out. And he did, going full speed the entire way, or at least to the best of his ability. Allen patted Ty on the back as he was bent over after the finish line, trying to catch his breath.

"Now **THAT** might be fast enough."

All Ty could do was give a thumbs up of approval, as he was too exhausted to speak.

* * *

At some point later on, starting blocks were brought out and each of them got a chance to learn how to come out of them.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"The key to winning the 100-meter dash is to have a great start. Or so I'm told. The race is only 10, or 11, or 12 seconds long. If you have a slow start, it's going to be very hard to overcome it."_

Bridgette got on the ground as she tried to get into the starting position. Her feet were pressed up against the blocks, her left knee was down on the track, and her right knee was being held above it.

"Okay, so, like this?"

One of the interns was helping her out.

"So, when the starter says 'Set,' knees come off the ground and your fanny sticks up in the air and you have to hold it 'til the gun goes off."

Bridgette had to do a double take for a second.

"What? My fanny?"

"Yes. You're fanny."

Bridgette laughed as went through the motions.

"Oh, this is so embarrassing!"

She practiced the pop up into the 'set' position over and over again, trying to input into her head the idea that this was a normal motion and it was not weird at all. Eventually, she got to a full starting simulation.

"Set?"

Bridgette raised up into position...

"Bang!"

Bridgette pushed off and jogged a few meters out of the blocks.

"Yes, like that," said the intern. "Only faster."

"Faster." Bridgette nodded. "Right."

"Surfer, right? Just imagine you're being chased by sharks. On land."

To any other person, that would have sounded ridiculous. But to Bridgette...

"So, you've been to Wawanakwa, haven't you?"

"No," he replied. "But I've seen it on TV."

Bridgette smiled.

"Trust me. Not as scary on TV as it is in real life."

Jen was also practicing getting out of the starting blocks.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"During practice, we were told that there is a no tolerance policy for jumping the gun, or false starting. If you leave before the gun goes off, you're disqualified, and two weeks of work go right down the drain. In an instant."_

"Bang!"

Jen was trying to time the starter so she could go at the earliest part of the moment. She left at half-speed, then turned around and asked to see if she had gone early.

"Early?"

"Close. Very close."

Jen had her hands on her hips as she tried to read the intern's face.

"Is anticipating the gun a good thing?"

"In this format? No."

"No. Got it."

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I honestly think Ty is going to be tough to beat. I think my only shot at beating him is to anticipate the gun and hope I don't go too early. I know it's a gamble, but I don't agree to come to London just to go home empty-handed. Anything short of victory means my trip here is a failure, and I will do anything - within the rules of the competition - to make sure I succeed."_

On the next attempt, Jen tried to push her luck even more...

"Bang!"

But she had already pushed off an instant before the intern spoke. And she knew it, as she stopped only after a few steps.

"That was definitely too early."

"Yes," agreed the intern. "Too early."

* * *

After the practice, the four finalists left and were reunited for a little more down time, as well as one last meal in London. Then it was back to the stadium for the last event. They suited up for the race, in sleeveless tops and shorts.

Before the race, though, Allen had one last surprise waiting for them. And in it involved them getting onto the back of a cart and riding it out on into the stadium.

Thankfully, it was a pleasant surprise, as all of the other eliminated competitors were sitting in the stands in front of the finish line, and they had come to cheer them on.

"So everyone didn't go right home after all!" stated Jen.

"I'm glad for that," Ty said, followed by a sigh of relief. "It just doesn't feel right if there's no one to cheer us on to victory."

The cart stopped in front of the crowd, and Allen did his normal 'explain the challenge' schtick there, for them all to here.

"It's all come down to this. 100 meters stand between one of you and a check for $300,000!"

The crowd cheered.

"Find out which one of these four is the winner of 'Fresh from Europe,' right after this final commercial break!"

_[End Act Two]_

* * *

"Enough stalling!" Allen exclaimed. "It's time to find out who's going to be the winner of 'Fresh from Europe!' Let's head down to the other end of the track, where the finalists are stepping up to the line."

The four finalists had been set up to run in Lanes 3-6, with Jen having drawn Lane 3, then Fin in Lane 4, Ty in Lane 5, and Bridgette in Lane 6.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"This is for all the marbles."_

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"Time to put up or shut up!"_

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"It all comes down to this."_

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"Whomever wins this will be fastest teenager in Canada!"_

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette / Fin / Jen / Ty_

_"**IT'S GOING TO BE ME!**"_

The starter took his place with a pistol in hand and gave the command to the runners...

"Take your marks!"

The four of them began the process of setting up in the blocks. Over in the crowd...

"Whoa," commented Jude as he tried to look down the track, "they look like ants!"

"Ants that can run fast!" exclaimed Tyler.

"Quiet in the peanut gallery, please!" shouted Allen from across the way.

They shut up, and things went quiet as set up continued at the start line. Once they were all in position, the official still waited for a few seconds before continuing. Then...

"Set..."

The four finalists raised into position. All that was left was...

**BANG! BANG!**

The four of them started to take off, but hearing the gun go off twice meant that they had to stop and come back, because someone jumped the gun. Everyone in the crowd looked down the track. Kelly, in particular, looks completely shocked at what just happened.

"Looks like someone jumped," Allen told the crowd, after getting a message through his headphones. "If that's true, someone just cost themselves a big pay day."

At the starting line, each runner had an official standing in their lane, right behind them, watching to see if they had gone early. One of them was holding up his red-colored flag to indicate that was the case.

It was the official in Lane 5.

"I jumped? C'mon, man!"

The person who had just been called for jumping? Ty. Before he could even argue, though, the replay of the start had gone up on the scoreboard.

"That was... a three-hundred-thousand dollar mistake!" groaned Allen. "One mistake is all it takes, people!"

The replay showed that Ty had flinched just before the gun had gone off. It was not a forward movement, it was a downward one.

"By rule," Allen explained, "once 'Set' is called and you are in position, you cannot move any part of your body until the gun goes off. That means Ty is out of the race and we are down to just three runners!"

"**NO!**" screamed Lo. "That wasn't anything! He wasn't even trying to advance his position!"

Back at the start, Ty accepted the official's decision and walked off the track, heading back for the tunnel. He was shaking his head, though.

"I don't know what happened," Ty explained as he was filmed by the camera crew in the tunnel. "They say I moved. That's that. I'm... I'm just so disappointed in myself right now."

As much as the crowd was stunned, so were the other finalists, who had very little time to dwell on it as they got back to the start.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"As much as it bites that Ty got DQ'd, that makes this race a whole different ball game! It's basically a toss-up between us girls!"_

"Take your marks!" ordered the official.

The three young women got down and started the process of getting back in the blocks. Meanwhile, the crowd was still buzzing about Ty's disqualification, and they had to be calmed down so the runners could hear the starter.

Once the girls were settled...

"Set..."

The trio raised into position.

**BANG!**

This time, it was a clean start. The girls all got out well as the crowd cheered them on. Jen started edging ahead of Fin while Bridgette drifted out of contention. At 50 meters, Jen had almost an entire stride on Fin. But the tanned blonde started to reel her rival in on the back end and was getting closer and closer...

"This is going to be close!" commentated Allen.

Both of them ran were straining hard as they raced for the finish line. Both Jen and Fin leaned forward as they got there...

"And the winner is... too close to call!"

The duo slowed to a stop, both of them believing that they had pulled it out in the end, but neither confident in making a declaration of victory. There was no question Bridgette had finished third. But who had won...

The girls kept their eyes on the scoreboard as they caught their breaths. Jen and Fin both fell to the ground in exhaustion, unsure of what to think. The crowd, meanwhile, was taking sides... half had thought Jen had won, the other half thought Fin had.

Finally, after a few seconds, the electronic scoreboard displayed their running times.

Lane 3's time was 11.87. Lane 4's time was 11.89.

"I did it!" Jen exclaimed. "I did it!"

Allen waited for video replay confirmation, which came shortly thereafter. It, too, showed Jen clearly crossing the line first.

"In the dash," Allen explained, "you are considered finished when your torso crosses the line. Therefore, Jen is officially the winner of 'Fresh from Europe!'"

The crowd exploded with cheers and fanfare as a smile appeared on Jen's face. She would dance in celebration if not for the fact that she was still out of breath. Fin, sitting next to her, leaned over and gave her a congratulatory hug. The only one of three runners still on her feet was Bridgette, who slowly made her way over and helped Jen off of the ground... and then hugged her.

The two then teamed up to help Fin to her feet. Once she was up, the three shared a group hug, at which one point one of them was finally able to say something.

"Great race, Jen."

It had come from Fin. Jen mouthed the words 'You too,' though they were not loud enough for them to be audible. The trio were soon joined by Ty, who had rode to the finish line on the cart, and he went to congratulate the champion as well.

"Congratulations!" he said to Jen.

"Thanks," she said back, finally able to respond.

The crowd made their way down from the stands, some of them jumping over the railing, and they mobbed Jen and the other finalists to congratulate them all.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I can't believe it! I actually did it! **I WON! WOO HOO!**"_

Fin was applauding her rival, conceding that she had been beaten.

_Confessional Cam - Fin_

_"As much as I wanted to win that race, if it couldn't be me, at least it was someone like Jen. A fierce competitor like her definitely deserves it."_

Bridgette and Ty were trying to have a talk about the latter's false start, but it was hard for them to hear each other over all of the cheering for Jen.

_Confessional Cam - Bridgette_

_"I didn't win, but that's okay. I'm just so thankful that I was even in the running! And hey, third place is a personal best!"_

_Confessional Cam - Ty_

_"Just disappointed I came up just short. Again. Not the way I wanted to go out, but I think any of these girls would've been a challenge to beat. It's just the way it goes. Perhaps third time's the charm?"_

* * *

A podium had been set up by the finish line, and the runners took their place. Bridgette had already been handed her bronze medal, and Fin her silver. All that was left was to award Jen, which Allen was going to do right now. Jen leaned forward so Allen could place the gold medal around her neck, to the others' delight.

"Seventeen days and thirteen events later, Jen, you are the last one standing! And with this gold medal, I proclaim you the winner of 'Fresh from Europe!'"

Another round of cheering ensued. Suddenly, two of the interns walked into the group, carrying a big check.

"And for your victory, not only is Jen being named the unofficial Fresh TV representative for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but she gets to take home this giant check for $300,000!"

Jen was handed the check, and she raised it up in front of her for all to see.

_Confessional Cam - Jen_

_"I knew I had in me to win one of these competitions, and all of my hard work and effort **FINALLY** paid off! Who knows? Maybe I should make my next goal winning an Olympic gold medal! For real!"_

"But you know what the best part of all this is?" Allen questioned Jen.

"What?"

"Unlike a certain reality show, you get to **KEEP** the money!"

"Ha! That's what I'm talking about!"

"And with that, we've reached the end of 'Fresh from Europe!' Thanks for coming, and thanks to London for the great accommodations! See you all next time!"

With that, they all waved one final goodbye as the camera zoomed out. The competition was a long and grueling one, but it had produced a worthy victor.

Congratulations, Jen, the Fresh TV Summer Olympic Champion!

**The End**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
And with that, another reality series season has come to an end! I think the reaction should be positive with Jen winning, even though the Winter Olympics are more her strength. But what do I know? Do you agree with Jen ending up champion? If not, who were you cheering for? Sound off and let me know!

Looking ahead to the future... my next 'Total Drama' fic will be my first time writing in the Season 4 cast of the show. That will be fun. Look for a preview in the next few weeks, and that story to start in September. As for the next reality series story featuring these characters (which is also most likely the only way you'll see me write anything with '6teen' or 'Stoked' characters from now on), who knows? Have a couple ideas mulling around, but nothing concrete yet. Question is, do you guys still wanna see me do these reality series style stories? Again, sound off in your review!

And with that, it's time to sign off! Thanks for reading, and for the latest updates, always keep an eye on my profile page and on Twitter at freefightwriter!

See ya!


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